The Maltese government will be paying tourists to visit the Maltese Islands from 1 June 2021, according to a press release published by Visit Malta, the government’s official tourism partner.
The support will be given to those booking stays directly in 5*, 4*, and 3* hotels. Support will be given to travelers accordingly:
- €100 per person per booking in a 5* hotel.
- €75 per person per booking in a 4* hotel.
- €50 per person per booking in a 3* hotel.
Visitors to hotels on this island of Gozo will get an additional 10% value added onto the above incentives.
In order to be eligible for the incentives, a traveler must stay for at least 3 nights in a Maltese 5*, 4*, or 3* hotel.
In addition, travelers must fill out the application, which can be found by clicking this link.
The incentives program, called the Incentives for Free Independent Travelers (FIT) scheme, is an attempt by the Maltese government to restart the tourism industry in the country, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Starting from 1 June 2021, the program will continue indefinitely until its allocated budget of €3,500,000 has waned, unless there is more funding added to it. It is projected that the FIT program will attract upwards of 35,000 tourists to the country.
With 27% of Malta’s pre-pandemic economy being accounted for by the travel and tourism industry and a subsequent drop of 80% of travelers coming in, it is no surprise that the country would be implementing some sort of revamping effort for the industry instead of simply opening their borders and hoping that people will come. The strategy is to give people incentives to come and experience the country and then advertise them, instead of relying on people to come on their own.
To read the official press release from Visit Malta, click this link.
To find the application form for incentives, click this link.
