Malta Gets Street Cred
Keywords: Malta, television, TV, TV soaps, holidays, vacations, television
Britain’s favourite TV soap and the world’s longest running drama, Coronation Street, has boosted interest in the island of Malta, according to a UK based Malta holidays guide.
Aired in late July and early August, the soap ran a storyline with two of Coronation Street’s characters taking a last minute holiday to the island. The episodes featured Eileen, played by Sue Cleaver and Steve, played by Simon Gregson, initially in the capital Valletta, before heading to a hotel by the Mediterranean.
Their arrival on Malta starts ominously as the island’s hotels are fully booked, but Steve manages to get a shared room after visiting the tourist office.
‘Despite the difficulty in finding suitable accommodation as Steve had booked last minute flights but not a hotel, the episodes showing Malta portrayed the island in a good light’, according to a Malta travel guide. ‘The timing was good as the programmes ran at the peak of the holiday booking season, and with millions of viewers it helps Malta to be considered along with British holiday favourites like Majorca not just for a summer holiday but for the autumn and beyond too, boosting Malta’s holidays and hotels industry’.
The number of visitors to the travel guide’s internet site more than doubled on the evenings immediately after the episodes featuring Malta were screened compared to normal, and the overall impact is still bringing benefits.
‘Even on the days between the programmes being aired we were seeing a much higher volume of visitors than we normally get’, they say, ‘while we don’t expect dramatically increased visitor numbers for much longer, overall Coronation Street featuring Malta will be enough for many millions of viewers in the UK to consider Malta as a holiday destination in the future, and the power of Coronation Street’s appeal will outlast any tourist board television campaign because it’s independent, and they portrayed Malta in a positive light.’
Coronation Street was first aired in 1960, with just a few episodes planned, but has evolved to become the world’s longest running soap. Viewing figures in the UK regularly top ten million viewers an episode, and as recently as April this year reached twelve million. In addition to reaching Malta’s prime UK market, additional benefit for the Malta holiday industry will come from Canada and Australia, where the show is aired some weeks after the UK.
The stories Coronation Street runs centre around a fictional cobbled street in the north of England, a suburb of Manchester called Weatherfield, with a pub called the Rovers Return at one end, and a corner shpo at the other, with a row of terrace houses between, setting for the home lives and dramas of the characters.
Spread over the 47 years since Coronation Street first began, storylines have includes murders, teenage pregnancies and other issues reflecting the real lives of British people living in a big city.
Famous actors and actresses who have appeared in the soap include Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen, Norman Wisdom and perhaps most unlikely of all Prince Charles, in the 40th anniversary edition. Malta hotels and holidays find themselves in the best of company!
YourMalta.com offers details about Malta holidays and hotels at www.yourmalta.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
New Airport Boost For Andorra Ski Holidays And Property (1)
Andorra and the more famous Monaco are Europe's leading tax havens, with residents enjoying the benefit of no income tax. Property prices in Andorra are less than a third of the price of Monaco's.
Spain Enjoys Spring 2007 Visitor Boost (2)
The Balearic Island also recorded a rise in visitors. The Balearics consist of Menorca (the smallest island), Majorca and Ibiza. The small rise compared to the Canary Islands isn't too much of a surprise as Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.
UK Media Boost For Malta Holiday Island 2007 Bookings (3)
Coronation Street is the world's longest running soap, and first broadcast in 1960. Viewing figures in the UK regularly top ten million viewers an episode, and as recently as April this year reached twelve million.
Malta Providing Safe Family Holidays (4)
Malta has always been a likely spot for the British, with nearly all Maltese speaking fluent English - and like the British the Maltese drive on the left. Malta used to be governed by the British, until 1964 when Malta became independent.
Sweet Success For 2007 Holiday Season (5)
Malta ranked as one of the top five locations for safety in the world, according to American travel writer Laura McKenzie. Cheap flights and a safe holiday environment could bring further rises in visitor numbers in the years to come for Malta.
Classic Yachts Come To Menorca (6)
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island's core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London's Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Melting Ski Tourists Tempted Back For 2008 Season (7)
Keywords: Andorra, Arinsal, ski holiday, ski vacation, ski, skiing, map of Andora Previous investment in infrastructure and improved ski facilities saw the number of tourists visiting Andorra in recent years rise sharply.
Summer Snow Brings 2008 Ski Season Hope (8)
As well as attracting new residents with high net wealth who contribute to Andorra's economy while in residence with their spending power, Andorra has a good banking system that provides good employment prospects.
Taste Of Honey For Malta Tourists (9)
Commenting on Malta, the report praises the island for the non existence of organised crime, especially surprising perhaps given her proximity to mainland Italy - and closer still to notorious Sicily.
Brits Have A Monaco Grand Prix Fantasy (10)
A mere two years later, McLaren signed Lewis Hamilton to his 'McLaren Driver Development Support' program. The document served to make Lewis, at thirteen years old, the youngest driver in the world to have held an F1 racing contract.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
A Perfect Mountain Biking Holiday In Whistler (1)
Apart from these, Whistler has to its credit some excellent parks that are exclusively designed for mountain biking. Of which, one of the most popular is the Whistler Bike Park, whose highlights, among many others, are over 200 km of lift serviced trails as well as mountainous pathways, jump park areas, access lifts including Whistler Gondola and Garbanzo Chairs, and dirt trails via canopied forests.
Its Better To Rent A Florida Villa Than Stay In A Hotel (2)
A villa offers all the modern amenities plus the comfort and informality of home. 3 The villa will have lots more space. Hotel rooms van be very crowded and usually only provide one or two rooms, in a Florida villa finding your own space and comfort would not be an issue making your vacation more enjoyable.
Staying In A Chalet In Courchevel (3)
There are 50 mountain restaurants, 15 bars and two nightclubs in the area. 1850 boasts the lion's share of these hotels, bars and entertainment venues. There is a regular bus service between 1550 and 1850 that runs all night, so there is no reason to miss out on the nightlife.
Travel Company Joins Facebook (4)
Anything that people want on the page will be there from photos, comments, travel tips and anything else that people can think of. it is thought that this is the best to reach people nowadays as everyone seems to have an account with at least one social networking site.
5 Reasons To Change The World: Volunteer In South America (5)
3. Invest in your health: Volunteering is good for the soul. Many people who have volunteered have come out of the experience with a new found look on life.
Here Is How To Find A Cheap Cruise (6)
There are many reasons that a cruise is so appealing, but the main one still remains that they are so much fun. A cruise combines an exotic locale with the convenience of an all-inclusive price.
Just Imagine Flying High In A Hot Air Balloon! (7)
You can take a motion sickness pill before embarking on the hot air balloon ride. Choose one that does not cause drowsiness as you do not want to miss a moment of the ride.
Can You Picture Yourself On A Beach In Aruba? (8)
While Aruba was never an extremely expensive place to travel to, it is now much, much cheaper than other islands where people head off to on vacation. In comparison to a trip to Tahiti or Hawaii, a similar vacation to Aruba is much less expensive, so you get more bang for your buck, you can stay longer or you can live like kings.
The Grand Benefits Of Online Hotel Booking Sites (9)
You have the proof in your hands. No sooner is your transaction completed than you will get an email confirming your reservation, and even a voucher that you will have to show at the hotel when you check in.
How Online Booking Hotel Sites Can Help You Save Money (10)
Some hotels may start new branches in dissimilar destinations of the globe, and you can take the occasion of saving some money by booking with them. Cheap hotels sites are certainly notorious in giving big fat discounts to the people who book with them.