'Go there, get paid': Malta to pay foreign tourists who visit for at least 3 days

Malta, an archipelago located in the Central Mediterranean, is now paying foreign visitors who stay there for at least three days. The one-of-it’s kind scheme was announced on April 9 by the country's Ministry of Tourism which said that all tourists who fulfil the criteria would be handed out 200 Euros each. With more and more people getting vaccinated against coronavirus, countries are now gradually reopening borders for domestic and international tourism.

According to data by the World Travel and Tourism Council, 27 per cent of Malta’s economy is directly dependent on Tourism. However, since last year, it has been pushed to the brink with the country witnessing loss worth millions of dollars. The official data revealed that there were 2.7 million foreign visitors who visited Malta in 2019, the following year saw a plunge of 80 per cent amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the scheme?

On Friday, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced that tourists booking summer holidays directly through local hotels would receive the handout. He also said that most of the COVID restrictions would be lifted by June 1 implying that the scheme could benefit thousands of people."The scheme is aimed at putting Malta's hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts," Bartolo said.

According to the scheme, all tourists booking accommodation at a five-star hotel will get 100 euros from Malta's Tourism Authority, which will be matched by the hotel for a total of 200 euros. In a similar arrangement, those opting for a four-star hotel will receive a total of 150 euros and those booking a three-star hotel will receive 100 euros. The grant grows by 10% when bookings are made with hotels on the smaller Maltese island of Gozo, three kilometres (two miles) north of the mainland.

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