Tiny European vacation hotspot nonetheless determined for Brit vacationers as Spain says ‘go house’
While many Brits’ preferred tourism destinations are starting to feel rather unwelcome in the wake of mass protests from locals, one small European spot is inviting visitors in with open arms
Plenty of Europe is sick of tourists, with protests and acts of resentment being carried out around the continent, but one little island still desperately wants you to come and visit.
While holiday makers’ rental cars are being defaced in Tenerife, ‘tourismaphobia’ is on the rise in the Canary Islands and residents in Barcelona chant ‘tourists go home’, Malta would love you to pop by.
Malta sits to the south of Sicily, with Tunisia to its west and Libya to the south, and the policy here is the more the merrier. The tiny island, just 17 miles across, even has a conduit called ‘Tourist Street’ in St Paul’s Bay.
Much like some of Europe’s other often-frequented hotspots, there are also pubs and bars with very English-sounding names like Diana’s and the Red Lion, where, according to MailOnline, locals love to drink too.
The same outlet reports that pints come in at a good rate too, at around £2.75, while pubs and bars have memorabilia from English football teams and pubs are packed with Brits before night the sun goes down.
The island is packed with picture-postcard spots. Many of the sheer sea walls set against blue, sprawling ocean, create an image straight out of Game of Thrones or James Bond.
In the tiny capital of Valetta, spires of stunning churches rise above the water, hiding narrow streets filled with restaurants, bars and things to look at.
Speaking to the Mail, Marisa Farrugia, who runs the Red Lion, said: “We get a lot of British tourists in here. The more we have, the better for us! I think tourists feel more welcomed in Malta, the locals are more friendly here.”
She added: “I don’t think we have any anti-tourism feelings here. People rely on tourism here a lot.”
She claimed that they were busier than usual this year, reflecting on it being a welcoming place for Brits to visit compared to other go-to areas of Europe seemingly committed to making visitors feel unwelcome.
The numbers back it too, with a record 3.56 million visitors thought to have visited last year – more than six times the population of Malta.
Even within that, the population of just over half a million people includes a 15,000-strong British ex-pat community.
Huddersfield man Richie Allsop, 37, moved to Malta 10 years ago and says the community there is very welcoming.
“The locals are amazing, so welcoming, so friendly. Everybody is generally so lovely,” he told the same outlet. “They want more tourism. They want more”.
