You don’t have to travel hundreds of miles half way across the world to laze on Mediterranean beaches or soak up their rich culture steeped in history. The Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino are just three hours flight away, the perfect distance for a weekend jet away.

The islands, that have been the dramatic settings for blockbuster movies including ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Troy’, have something to entice every British traveller. Whether they want to sail in the secluded coves off the quieter Gozo or go clubbing in Paceville, the centre of Malta’s nightlife. But it would be a shame to visit the islands and not make the most of the diving opportunities and explore the underwater reefs and wrecks, some of which date back to Roman times.

And if you and your kids want to taste a bit of real island life, where better to start than joining in one of the countless fiestas. You can choose from dozens of different festivals, since every village celebrates its saint’s day with fireworks, music and dancing, and of course while the villagers party the bars and restaurants all stay open through the night.

So what are you waiting for? If it is dancing the night away, diving or even taking a business trip with a difference, Malta has it all, including cheap flights from airports across the UK. Who knows you may even bump in to Brad Pitt along the way…

Chris Fenech, Director of the Malta Tourist Office joined us live online on to discuss why Malta is a great choice for your holiday 07

H: Keith Betton, host
C: Chris Fenech, Malta Tourist Board

H: Hello and welcome to Holiday 07, my name’s Keith Betton, and this is the program on the internet that allows you to quiz my guests about your favourite holiday destinations, whether you’re thinking about going on a long haul trip, maybe on a cruise or perhaps it’s a European destination, we will answer your questions and help you to get more for your holiday. And this week we’re going to be looking at the destination of Malta, situated in the Mediterranean between North Africa and Sicily, it’s been a popular destination for British holidaymakers for many years indeed, not least because it was once part of the British empire. And joining us here today in the studio is Chris Fenech from the Malta Tourist Authority, thanks very much for coming

C: Morning, thank you for having me

H: And Chris is going to be answering your questions so don’t forget if you’ve got questions on Malta, get onto the internet and email us with those questions live on the show and we’ll get the answers for you here on the program. So Chris, Malta has had a huge British history from being part of the empire, it’s got a bit of image, I guess of being very much a British destination and one that attracted the older holidaymaker in the past – has that changed over the years?

C: Yes it has, it has changed, obviously over the past 10, 15 years there have been various product upgrades, the destination has changed. There’s, we can offer various things from clubbing, yachting, sailing, gastronomy which has become very popular, you know the local casinos have attracted a lot of short break people from other European destinations. So yes in general it has changed. There’s a lot to do and that is, you know, our strapline for this year is the Mediterranean’s best kept secret and one would wonder you know why a secret when it’s been around for 6, 7000 years but yes basically what we are trying to get across is that there a lot of things to do, even for you know for weekend for breaks, be it Thursday to Sunday, Wednesday to Sunday you know, it’s fine for a week, it’s fine for two weeks but there’s also a lot of things you can get done in 3-4 days

H: Ok. So the Mediterranean’s best kept secret, well maybe you’ve been to Malta, but if you haven’t let’s have a look at some of the scenes of the island and the nightlife and the other activities you can get involved in

H: Well that was pretty lively stuff, that was Malta and if you’re interested in going to Malta then email us a question and my guest, Chris Fenech, will answer those questions as best he can, an expert on Malta because presumably you were born there and have lived there all your life haven’t you?

C: Yes I have, I’ve lived in Malta all my life, lived here for a couple of years around 20 years ago but yes I’m born and brought up in Malta. Born in St Julian’s, always lived in the St Julian’s same area which is you know one of the main tourist areas of the island

H: But it was actually the place I went to for my very first holiday when I was 20 years old, I think I was attracted by the fact that it did have a little bit of English history, people drove on the left, and when you’ve never been abroad that’s the sort of thing that is quite nice to know, I mean I get the impression that you drive on the left but you still do drive a bit like Italians don’t you?

C: Oh yes definitely, I mean definitely it’s the British way of driving but the Italian style, it is getting better but you know yes, very interesting – a lot of things are particularly – education system is British, the medical system, very importantly is also run on British lines. I mean just to note the British Malta was run by the British until 1979, so the British forces were in Malta until 1979 so the legacy is still pretty strong

H: Good. Now we’ve got a question from Saskia, she says that she’s got about a month of spare holiday time coming up. She’s thinking about spending it on Malta, and that is quite a long period of time actually. “I don’t have to do too much, I’d like to spend some time exploring. Is the island big enough? I don’t want somewhere really that takes 5 minutes to get around.” I mean maybe you could talk us through Malta, Gozo and Comino because there are three islands aren’t there – we have a map so perhaps you could just talk us through that?

C: Yes definitely so Malta obviously is the largest island, around 360,000 people live on Malta, another 25-30,000 on Gozo. Comino is very popular with day trippers, there is one hotel on Comino but it’s very popular with day trippers. A month in Malta – well basically it’s as big as you make it because we’ve got – we’re surrounded by the sea so if you’d like to come to Malta there’s an excellent possibility of sailing actually around Malta, so you know spend a week discovering Malta by sea, there are some amazing secluded bays both in Malta, Gozo and also especially Comino with it’s blue lagoon, so yes you could easily spend a week to 10 days in Malta obviously part culture, sailing, trekking you know there’s some very good nightlife, excellent gastronomy, Gozo farmhouse – we call them farmhouses, villa holidays in Gozo, maybe spend also a week over there. Gozo is a great little island, easy to get round as well. You could probably rent a car, one of these 4 x 4 jeeps, very safe you know, and maybe spend a week in Comino, that’s it – 6, 7 nights on a boat. So although it is a small island there’s lots to do and you could, you know we could come up with quite a few things for our guests to do in a month

H: Yes I think what I’d probably do is maybe see if I could get the month split out, maybe two weeks now in the spring and then maybe two weeks again in the autumn

C: Yes exactly

H: Or something. But the whole features of Malta is it’s a very kind of yellowish sandstone isn’t it?

C: Yes

H: And that’s really affected the colour of the buildings?

C: Oh yes definitely, I mean it’s a stone called Maltese Globigerina limestone, you know which is basically cut and quarried in Malta, so – which makes a lovely effect you know at sunrise and sunset, the golden honey colour, but yes most buildings are – I’d say probably all buildings are built like that in Malta

H: And very few trees really. I mean it’s a very dry country isn’t it?

C: It is, it is a dry country, having said that in the past few years there have been some sanctuaries, especially in the north of the island, you know Mellieha, the northern area which is far less built up so yes the local government and the local councils have been doing an excellent job in Malta you know, even at various places, little gardens around and taking care of them very well throughout the year. So making Malta a bit greener which is something we didn’t have in the past

H: Well we’ve got another question from Tara, now this is going the other extreme, from one month now she’s saying she’d never thought of it as a weekend break but how quickly can you get there and is a weekend break possible or is that going to be too quick?

C: No it’s, actually it is an ideal weekend break. You can fly obviously from the London area, there are flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton within 3 hours, just over 3 hours – 3 hours 10 minutes, from the north there’s flights from Manchester, Liverpool which would take around 3 hours 30, 3 hours 35, so yes it is possible, you know fly out on a morning, Thursday even Thursday evening, you know 3 nights in Malta getting some of the gastronomy, you know pop over to Gozo, Gozo is great for a day trip as well. Obviously a lot of weekenders would actually go for a day trip, visit Valletta, Medina, and then spend the evenings in St Julians so yes it is an excellent Thursday to Sunday destination

H: And I guess you don’t even have to think about flying from the UK because if you were maybe in Sicily on holiday you could come across from there. The catamaran’s quite quick isn’t it?

C: Yes it – depending on the sea but it’s a 75-90 minute trip in and out of Sicily so yes if you’re anywhere around the Mediterranean, around Sicily then yes it’s very accessible to come to Malta you know for a day or for a night as well

H: You could do it for a day from Sicily could you?

C: You could yes because it’s an early morning catamaran service, which goes back late in the evening so yes

H: So if we arrive in Malta, let’s start with Valetta, that’s the capital, it’s got an amazing amount of history hasn’t it? Naval ports and two harbours and so on. Where would you go if you were in Valetta?

C: Well there’s obviously the main features of Valetta are those which have been built – Valetta itself was built by the knights of you know of the Holy Order of St John in 1530 so you have St John’s Co-Cathedral which houses some paintings by Italian artist Caravaggio, you have the Grand Master’s Palace which is less than 5 minutes walk from there, and that is obviously where the grand master of the day used to reside and it now hosts the house of Maltese Parliament, so you have the different auberges, which are classed as sort of houses, where the different 8 languages of the Knights of Malta used to live in. Lots of coffee shops, you know, squares – even in the evening Valletta has, you know been given sort of – I wouldn’t’ say an uplift, but there’s a lot of things which Valetta can do. Traditionally Valetta was a day place and then you’d go to St Julien’s in the evenings, there’s a lot of wine bars, coffee shops, live entertainment in Valetta now in the evenings as well which makes it a very popular evening destination

H: It’s interesting you mention there the auberges, now that’s some little reference I guess back to French history in Malta because the French were there before us and the Spanish before them, and I think the Romans -

C: Yes

H: And how many different nationalities have conquered Malta and taken it over at various times?

C: Well off the top of my head you know we’ve had the Finishes and there have been Romans, obviously the French just before the British, so it’s – that is where Malta gets its different culture from, I mean the best way to probably describe it is we live the Mediterranean way you know, integrated with a few British systems, however the language is then, sounds very much like Arabic, the base of our language which is Maltese is Arabic. I mean most people in Malta, well everybody speaks English and Maltese, and the large percentage actually speaks fluent Italian as well

H: And quite close links I guess as well to Libya from historical times which is – Libya and Tunisia are both quite close aren’t they?

C: Yes they are, yes they are. I mean both of them are accessible within both by sea and – obviously a bit longer than it takes to get to Sicily, but within half an hour by air

H: Ok. Well question now in from Terry, he wants to know “is the weather nice this time of the year in Malta and can you get any early season deals?” So I’ve always thought of it as an all-round year destination but pretty hot in July / August. What’s the best time to go?

C: Well it obviously depends on the individual, but I think the best time to visit Malta is April / May / June and then again you know September / October / November. Having said that the winter months are very mild months you know temperatures around 14-15 degrees. It does get hottest in July / August, we can sometimes see temperatures in the high 30s but there is a lot to do. For me it’s a great winter destination you know it’s fine in summer you’ve got the great sea, the beach, the temperature but it’s a great winter destination because the temperature is still – the weather is lovely, as you said pretty dry country so it doesn’t rain much so -

H: So getting a good deal - is that going to be possible for him?

C: Well it’s going to be possible, definitely - we have obviously the introduction of major low-cost airlines coming in to Malta as from 1st November of last year, and that has opened up you know a whole new market to Malta. There have been daily flights in the past but now there are daily flights for very affordable prices. You can you know go in and out of Malta, for a weekend, 4 / 5 nights, even 3 nights for anything between, you know between £60 - £87 including taxes. Obviously you do your research online and there are various airlines that fly into Malta now

H: Well my first holiday in Malta was actually in March so – long time ago though – and it was actually a very pleasant time to go. It was that – as you say it was that spring time. You’ve just got to avoid the Easter time haven’t you really because Easter the prices go sky high?

C: Well it’s, you know Easter, Bank Holiday weekends, there – again July, August, the prices do go up, as they do obviously in any other, in many other places, but I think you know weekend breaks, especially this time of the year, April / May to the first half of June it’s probably you know the nicest time to visit Malta as well as October / November

H: Well now we’ve mentioned activity breaks, Jez has emailed in, he says he’d assumed there wasn’t much to do other than look at the sites and we must talk about those a bit later, and sunbathe, what alternatives to lazing on the beach are there?

C: Well there’s a – for the lovers of the sea there’s sailing and yachting. Obviously you can have a skipper you know, skipper boats and go on day trips, even two or three days, you know sailing round the Maltese islands. Diving is very popular, there’s some excellent diving sites. Abseiling and trekking as well as climbing, there’s some very good schools in Malta, very safe, licensed, so that’s another half day do one day activity that you can do. We mentioned before you can actually go to Gozo and go on what they’re called sort of jeep safari tours which you go on these 4 x 4 jeeps, anything from 4-6 people, even an individual can join another tour, you know spend the day discovering Gozo, the cliffs of Gozo, the salt pans, you know the historic areas as well. So yes there is quite a bit. Then obviously in the evening you’ve got the up and coming clubbing scene, some of Europe’s top DJs do actually play in Malta

H: And what’s the name of the place where that happens?

C: It’s, well the centre for entertainment has always been the Paceville area, and now obviously that as well has been upgraded to very good international standard clubs and you know nightclubs, open to 5, 6am, you know very easily accessible, taxi -

H: Is this going to become a sort of stag and hen type weekend destination if you’ve got all these clubs?

C: It is, you know it is possible to do stag and hen weekends. Having said that it is not an expensive destination you know, so you could fly down and you could g et some very good deals, but once you are actually in the St Julien’s / Paceville area there are restaurants, you know going clubbing doesn’t cost you know an arm and a leg as it does in other places, so it’s a very affordable weekend, it’s a very affordable weekend

H: Ok well if you’re interested in going to Malta, but not Malta but also Gozo and Comino, then email in your questions and Chris will give you the answers. We must talk about Gozo because it is, as we saw in the map earlier, you’ve got the main island of Malta, Gozo just off to the west there and – how long does it take to get there by ferry?

C: Well it takes anything between 25 and 30 minutes, there’s a regular ferry service which runs from Cirkewwa which is the port in the north of Malta into Mgarr which is Gozo’s main port. So yes I mean, as I said many people who don’t actually choose to stay on Gozo will go to Gozo anyway for a day trip from 9.30 / 10am to 5 / 5.30. There are many places to visit, there’s the – Azure window, Dwejra, there’s the Ggantija temples which are one of the oldest temples, freestanding temples in Europe. Very typical bakers, very typical Maltese foods from sundried tomatoes to capers, all homegrown inside the little villages. Lace making also in Victoria which is known as the Citadel which is a sort of the capital city and markets, so yes – Gozo is a very welcoming place and it’s very easy to explore by car as well

H: Well Damian’s actually emailed in, he says he’s always wanted to go to Malta but Gozo sounds nice. What is the difference? So if you were to compare Malta from Gozo, what would I notice as a particular difference? Is there more culture there in a tiny space?

C: Well there’s more culture in a tiny space but Gozo is also I would say a more relaxing place, need I say – Maltese people actually use Gozo for a weekend break, so they benefit also from Maltese tourism. What is very popular with the Maltese and is also catching on with a lot of you know, a lot of tourists, is the Gozo farmhouse breaks, you know the villas, you can actually rent a farmhouse or a villa. There are now actually even working farmhouses you know where you can learn to make typical goat’s cheese in Gozo, you can actually do that once you’re there for the weekend, or else just rent you know your farmhouse / villa with a pool, and spend from Thursday night to Sunday, so it’s a more relaxed atmosphere in Gozo. It’s – you have the villages, the different villages based around the churches, the village built round churches – it’s still as – like going back in time

H: And small villages like – is it Xlendi?

C: Xlendi, yes Xlendi is in the south of the island, the other extreme from Xaghara, Xlendi is a great place -

H: Fishing village?

C: Fishing village yes, an old fishing village. Still today fishing is important both in Malta and in Gozo so fishing for tuna, lampuki which is the fish caught mainly in the Maltese region of Mediterranean waters, but yes Gozo is, Xlendi’s a great place – you know cliffs, and lots of restaurants around the area. Some good clubs as well

H: Well we’ve got some questions about food for later, so don’t get me on food otherwise we’ll never talk about anything else! It’s been used for films though hasn’t it Gozo, if you – perhaps wouldn’t even realise it if you were watching. What films have you had filmed there?

C: Just over the past few years which is something many people might not know about – Gladiator, Troy, Count of Montecristo, Munich, have all doubled up as – well Valetta was actually used as Beirut in Munich. The Blue Lagoon in Comino which is probably one of the most amazing sights on the island was actually used in the first part of Troy, you know with Brad Pitt and the other actors, so it was doubled up as parts of Greece. Count of Montecristo same, doubled up as Marseille and some of the other French islands around France, Corsica. Gladiator, there was a whole Roman arena built up on the other side of Valetta harbour, and Gladiator was actually filmed in Malta. So yes the weather plays a large part obviously because film crews come from all over the world really, just from -

H: But I guess when they’re filming it they don’t film it as Malta, they film it as other places, whereas a film like Shirley Valentine, filmed in Greece, put Greece on the map, the Greek islands for a few years. Perhaps we need to make sure they talk about Malta, give it a good plug at the end of the film maybe?

C: Definitely. Definitely that is something we’d like to work on

H: We mentioned Comino, it’s a very small island, I mean I think when I went there, there was 6 people there, that was about the entire population at that time?

C: That’s about right, you know it varies, some people say 3, some people say 6 but yes I mean you’re talking definitely a handful of people. There’s a sort of police station and a little church on Comino which is used by weekenders, you know Maltese people go there by boat, so they have the church, they have the police station. There is actually a four star hotel on Comino, so somebody who would like actually to stay on Comino for a few days can actually book a hotel. That is obviously the Blue Lagoon, used a lot for day trippers, you know going on these big gullets, you know have buffet lunches on the Blue Lagoon, it’s an excellent one-day tripper place

H: Now we’ve got a question here from Toby and Angel, and they are interested in getting married I think. Yes they are they’re looking to get married, they want somewhere hot and sunny, not too far away. Is it straightforward getting married in Malta or Gozo?

C: It is straightforward and it’s also very popular. There are some specific websites, obviously through our website visitmalta.com then you can go into the weddings and honeymoons sections and that obviously will update you on the latest offers, but it is very very popular. One of the main, obviously the weather is a factor, the accessibility within 3 hours is another factor but I think what many people will find is that organising a wedding in Malta including flights, including accommodation and everything will actually cost less than organising it back in not just the UK but most European countries

H: So let’s talk a bit about shopping, now I know the lace-making has always been famous and Keeley’s asked us about this. She likes to buy clothes and jewellery, is there – there’s a local jewellery industry isn’t there, based on silver?

C: Yes it’s actually called, start of with silver, filigree silver which is made in both in Malta and in Gozo. In Malta concentrated a lot round the medina area which is sort of the old capital city. There’s a crafts village just within 5 minutes drive of medina where you’ve got glass-blowing, a typical Maltese glass, Filigree silver jewellery yes for also very very good deals. Lace-making is also included in these craft traditions, something that is also replicated in Gozo. In Gozo you can actually see you know the Gozo women, the typical village people actually working their lace in the street but same with glass-blowing and filigree silver, you can actually go into the workshops and interact with the people who are actually making it

H: Do you import many items from places like Italy, so because of it being so close to Italy, I mean do you import leather goods and things like that which people can buy, or do you make your own leather goods?

C: There is a substantial amount of importation, there is international obviously. Being a smaller country the main resources is tourism, however there are manufacturing, lots of manufacturing firms, Malta is becoming an important centre also for off-shore business, off-shore banking, IT, IT companies are setting up and also running their business from Malta. It’s always been an important crossroads you know, it’s situated between – it’s the south, it’s the southern most part of the EU and just close to North Africa, so it’s always been an important sort of trading post, and that has made sure that even some pharmaceutical companies are actually setting up in Malta as well. So it’s sort of becoming a little business – apart from tourism – a little business hub as well, which has made products obviously cheaper but yes having said that we do import the major designer goods, back from European countries – from Italy, from the UK, from Germany mainly

H: Well I’m delighted to say Mary’s asking about food now, so it’s not all down to me – they like to eat out, she’s got kids, they’re a bit fussy so I remember when I was there, there was quite a lot of sort of English type, you know bacon and egg type places around but you know traditional food is very popular as well isn’t it?

C: Yes it is. I mean the gastronomy in Malta, there’s such a wide, a wide variety

H: Pretty much Sicilian influence -

C: There is a very big Sicilian influence, there’s a very big Mediterranean influence. Obviously our diet is very fish-based, especially in the summer months, although you do find fresh fish throughout the season. The national dish is rabbit cooked in various ways, you know in red sauce, wine, garlic, fried, but having said that for the tourist who goes to Malta, you can actually find anything – the British obviously legacy is still there, you know you have the pub food. You know the way the Maltese eat is sort of Monday to Saturday we’re very Mediterranean, you know fish, salads, pasta, pizza here and there, but then obviously the Sunday roast at every, most families in Malta on Sunday will have Sunday roasts

H: Yes

C: So there’s a mixture of you know, of gastronomic cultures if you want to put it that way

H: I particularly like that sort of macaroni cheese-type pie that you do

C: Oh yes the timpana, timpana yes it’s a long-standing tradition as well, obviously the pasta element comes from southern Italy but you know the Maltese have adapted it to their own way, you know the pastry crust on the top

H: Ok well lots of live questions coming in to the program today, Mrs Hawks wants to know about her son whose got bad asthma, needs to know that there are good hospitals. Are there many hospitals on Malta and Gozo?

C: Yes there are, there is the main hospital which currently – St Luke’s Hospital, there are many clinics, also private hospitals in Malta. As I said before the medical system is based very much on the British system, so you will find absolutely everybody 100% of doctors, nurses and all staff will actually speak English and they are very familiar with the British medical system so there are absolutely no problems, doctors on call are easily accessible as well

H: Now you’re part of the European Union now, you’re becoming much more European than we are in Britain, so throwing away that British heritage – getting rid of the pound. You’re going to join the Euro, so how’s that going to affect things?

C: Well at the moment in 2007 there is dual pricing display policy, so basically if you go to Malta already this year you will see all prices displayed in the Maltese Lire, the Maltese Pound as we know it both ways, and in Euros, and obviously this was done to facilitate the transition period. As from 1st January 2008 the Euro will be officially introduced and the Maltese Pound will be phased out, there will be a deadline date until which the Maltese Pound can be used and from there on we will move with the Euro

H: Ok well that question was actually coming in from Jane, we’ve still got a few minutes left, so if you’re very quick you might get your question in. Alison’s been very quick she says that she’s trying to decide when to go for her short break in Malta, she wants to know about festivals and fiestas – what time of the year are they?

C: Well the traditional fiesta season, the fiesta is the sort of the village feast celebrating the local patron saint which could be you know St Paul’s which is actually celebrated in Valletta, St George’s, St Julien’s – every village has two or three, some even four – there are villages like and Valetta will have four feasts a year, so you actually get these from Friday to Mellieha Sunday, mainly from April until September, although you do actually find some winter ones, so those are good to combine for a short break. This summer we have 3 top you know 3 top concerts as well, so June / July is a good time to go. Spanish Tenor Jose Carreras will be performing in Malta

H: Oh right that’s important because Davey, he wants to know if there are any festivals around the end of June, so when’s that one happening?

C: That is on the 8th June, 28th June is Bryan Adams in concert, then 7th July Joseph Calleja whose an up and coming Maltese Tenor, Maltese classical singer. Then there is the jazz festival which is one of the more prominent jazz festivals in Europe and that takes place around middle of July, so between 7th June and the middle of July there’s a lot of festivals coming up, you know concerts and music and music concerts and festivals

H: Ok. Well that’s lots of activities going on. Let’s just talk about how you get there because we know, you said I mean traditionally Air Malta and also British Airways, presumably GB Airways is it rather than -

C: GB Airways, Transatlantic GB Airways

H: Are the regular ones. Now we’ve got Ryan Air – how many others are there now?

C: Well Air Malta, British Airways, British Jet, British Jet which is also a local company that flies into various regional airports also around the UK, so it’s also accessible, you know Newcastle, Exeter – same as Air Malta, British Airways are now starting a daily Manchester flight and they will also fly from Manchester in the Winter. Ryan Air have started from the 1st November of last year, they’re flying daily from Luton airport. So obviously there is a broad – Scotland as well, you know we’ve got flights out of Glasgow. Dublin as well, so the whole of the UK is covered. We actually – there are operators as far south as Bournemouth as well, so it is very easily accessible. All these are available obviously on visitmalta.com, how to get to Malta, you know but it is accessible and obviously now there’s – and that is plus the major tour operators which offer packages into Malta as well

H: And all the information presumably about Malta is on visitmalta.com, for example Kit, she emailed in asking about lace-making. If you wanted to know more about lace-making the particular centres to go to, is that information on the website?

C: Yes the information is also on the website, on visitmalta.com there are also the contacts of our London office and basically what you can do is call the London office and ask for an information pack, a generic information pack or a specific information pack, be it culture, sports activities or anything like lace-making

H: Good. Quick question in before we finish about hen and stag weekends – where would you go if you were going to do that, I mean it’s obviously a place that’s going to be developing that kind of holiday. Where would you go?

C: One – basically I would choose Gozo. I would choose Gozo and rent out one of the Gozo, you know farmhouses because that gives you sort of the privacy for hen and stag weekends, you can cross over to Malta for the evening if you want an evening clubbing in Malta. Having said that Gozo has two or three of very very good nightclubs as well, so you know if you want the privacy then you can go to Gozo, rent one of these 5, 6 bedrooms farmhouses and go clubbing in the evening

H: Sounds great and then of course if you want to make a lot of noise you can do so, you just keep yourself awake rather than everybody else

C: Exactly

H: Half a million people go to Gozo every – Malta and Gozo, every year, it’s a really popular destination, and with so many ways of getting there I’m sure that you’re going to find that you’re going to be very busy over the next 12 months, don’t you think?

C: Yes I mean as I said half a million people going just from the UK on its own, you know the total tourist which is just under half, we get 1.1 million tourists, half a million of those are from the UK. It is going to be busy, as I said accessibility has increased accessibility and the prices have gone down significantly so we’re hoping for a very very good year. This – as I said we want to get the message across, there is lots to do, Malta is not just a 7 or 14 night destination, it’s perfect for that but also it’s a place, just go and discover it, Thursday to Sunday there’s lots you can do and once you get there you can go and probably want to go back again, definitely want to go back again

H: Well I’ve been 3 times, I think the 4th time’s getting nearer every day, Chris thank you very much indeed for coming in to the studio and answering all those questions fantastically quickly today. A lot of questions today, thank you for those and thank you for watching. We’ve been talking about Malta, if you’re interested in going to Malta then go to the website visitmalta.com, the connection point from our own website is there, and you can find out everything about that destination which is so popular with British holidaymakers and it looks like there are going to be many more going there in the future. So thanks for joining us here on Holiday 07

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