Interview: Malta seeks closer tourism cooperation with China

Maltese Tai Chi lovers perform to celebrate World Tai Chi Day in Valletta, Malta, on April 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Wenxian)

Although Malta may not be as familiar to Chinese tourists as other European destinations, Gulia believes that Malta's unique Mediterranean lifestyle, cultural heritage and historical legacies will attract more Chinese tourists.

VALLETTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), Gavin Gulia, expects the number of Chinese tourists visiting his country to increase in the coming years and is confident that cooperation with China in the tourism sector will demonstrate its value.

"This year, we will recover and will hopefully surpass the number of inbound tourists that we had in 2019. I'm also confident that we will welcome more Chinese tourists in 2024," Gulia said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

With China's optimization of its anti-COVID-19 strategy and the resumption of its outbound group travel earlier this year, the demand for travel by Chinese citizens has surged. China is one of the world's most important tourism source markets, and the resumption of outbound travel is expected to boost global tourism growth.

 Charmaine St John, the Mayor of Santa Lucija (R) and Ji Nengwen, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Malta, display a piece of calligraphy works on China-Malta friendship during the "Spring Fair" in Santa Lucija, Malta, on April 23, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

According to Gulia, China and Malta have a "long-standing and deep friendship," and areas such as trade, industry and tourism have flourished since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972.

Although Malta may not be as familiar to Chinese tourists as other European destinations, Gulia believes that Malta's unique Mediterranean lifestyle, cultural heritage and historical legacies will attract more Chinese tourists.

According to the MTA, in 2019, approximately 10,000 Chinese tourists visited Malta. The country has experienced a steady increase in Chinese visitors, especially since 2016.

Chinese tourists have become more interested in "experiential" travel and are seeking in-depth experiences, such as opportunities to interact with local people and learn about their culture, he noted.

Gulia believes that the steady increase in the number of Chinese tourists will continue.

 People spend time at the seaside of the Mediterranean Sea in Sliema, Malta, on Dec. 16, 2022.  (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

"We are working on enhancing connectivity and flight capacity that will facilitate the arrival of Chinese tourists," he said.