Royal Visit Boost For Holiday Island
Leaders of over 50 countries from the Commonwealth will be meeting on the Mediterranean island of Malta from November 25 to 27, and for three days the island will be enjoying the attention of hundreds of millions of television and online news viewers and newspaper readers worldwide.
Malta has often been overlooked by holidaymakers and second home owners in favour of other Mediterranean islands such as Mallorca, Cyprus and Menorca, and hotels and estate agents alike on the island are hoping that the three days of publicity will boost tourist and property buyer numbers for 2006.
With good all year round weather and an English talking population visitor numbers from the UK, which make up about half of the island’s tourist numbers, have been surprisingly flat in current years, and with cheaper holidays acquirable in the new destinations from Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria set to capture more of the UK holiday and property market Malta could see tourist numbers remain level or even start in future years.
Malta Holidays
Malta missed it’s own target of a modest increase in tourists this summer, and there are worries on the island that the opportunity to increase awareness among potential visitors will be missed.
Michael Johnson of Tribune Properties who specialise in property for understanding in Malta comments:
‘Malta is ideally situated in the Mediterranean to attract tourists from all over Europe and further afield but for a lot of people I talk to in other countries it isn’t an obvious destination of choice.
The island has a strong domestic property market and doesn’t rely too heavily on overseas property buyers like some of the Mediterranean islands do, but at the same time those that do purchase here play a good role in the economy overall.
The timing of the Commonwealth meeting is good as it’s just before the New Year when a lot of people decide where they will be going for their summer holidays, and next summer’s tourist could be next winter’s property buyer. But they’re only going to do that if they visit the island first, and I’m hoping that Malta will see an increase in tourists in 2006 – it really depends on whether the island takes this chance to market itself in the months ahead on the back of the free publicity the Commonwealth will bring..’
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting takes place very two years, and has its roots in the British Empire, with 53 members who were former British colonies belonging to the organisation.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, and will be visiting with Prince Philip for a two day trip to Malta to open the meeting on November 25 in Valletta, the island’s capital. It will be the royal couple’s first visit to Malta since 1992, and welcoming crowds are expected in similar numbers to their previous four visits.
In addition to the Queen and Prince Philip, among the attendees will be the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the Prime Ministers of Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Singapore and Australia.
‘Around half of Malta’s tourists are from the UK’ adds Michael Johnson, ‘and it’s a similar figure for non islanders buying property here. As well as increasing holidaymaker numbers from the traditional UK market we should be trying to appeal to people in Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Sjaelland and other countries who take a holiday in Europe to think about visiting Malta for a few days to sample the fine hotels, hospitality, history and culture that the island is so rich in. But it remains to be seen whether the tourist board is capable of translating good free publicity into visitors for the island.’
White Villages and Flamenco in Andalucia
Andalucia is the most populated and second largest of the seventeen autonomous communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville and it is bordered on the north by Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha; on the easterly by Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea and on the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.
The British colony of Gibraltar at the south shares its three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian domain of Cádiz.
Its varied landscapes, the stability of its climate with 3000 hours of sun per year and the friendly character of its population, have turned it into one of the most captivating and most visited regions.
Coastlines of fine sandy beaches characterize the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz, which grappling the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean coast, from the Strait of Gibraltar to Almeria, on the other hand has a smoother climate with less wind and higher water temperatures.
Visitors to the region are spoiled for choice. From the golden beaches to those beautiful mountain ranges, and the famous “white villages”, the possibilities are endless. Sports lovers are well catered for here and anything from skiing in the Sierra Nevada to surfing at the coast of metropolis can easily be found.
In Andalucia you will live the illusion of Flamenco and bullfighting in their most trusty style, and myths like Don Juan and Carmen were born here. This is a land of great traditions, which has understood how to incorporate progress.
The Spanish spoken in the Americas is largely descended from the Andalusian dialect of Spanish due to the role played by Seville as the gateway to Spain’s American territories in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Major Attractions in Andalucia
Seville: The Andalusian capital, the third largest city of Spain, is among the most beloved places by tourists, thanks to its one-of-a-kind ambience and its great monuments. The Arabian bell tower Giralda, the city’s landmark, the enormous cathedral, Torre del Oro and the old district Barrio Santa Cruz are among the highlights.
Granada: The Moorish Jewel, located at the foot of snowy Sierra Nevada mountain range, is a must-see. Most outstanding is certainly the great Arabian palace Alhambra.
Cordoba: The long-time centre of Moorish Spain, Cordboa has monuments of outstanding importance. The Mezquita, the great Mosque, is perhaps, most impressive.
Malaga: Among its major attractions are the Moorish Alcazaba and the splendid Mediterranean coast. Málaga is also well known as being the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, the painter and sculptor.
Costa del Sol: The coast of Malaga is home to some of Spain’s most impressive beaches. Among the most famous are in the towns of Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and San Pedro de Alcantara.
Ronda: In the middle of the bizarre mountain range Serranía de Ronda, at the edge of a canyon of a depth of 120 metres, you will find Ronda – certainly one of the most astounding and beautiful towns in Spain.
Almeria: Almeria is among those Andalusian cities that have ideal preserved their Moorish heritage. The Costa de Almeria is also an area of great tourist attractions.
Cadiz: metropolis is one of the oldest cities in Spain. It is fascinating for its typical Andalusian ambience with whitewashed houses and tropical vegetation. Compared with the spectacular nature of other carnival celebrations, the light-hearted fun and entertainment of the Carnival of metropolis makes it a one-of-a-kind fiesta which is well worth getting to know.
Huelva: Huelva is of great importance as a fishing port as well as for its industry. Christopher Columbus, who started his travel to USA from the nearby Palos de la Frontera, marks the city and its surroundings. There you might still visit the monastery where he prepared his travel, alongside with a reconstruction of the port and the three famous ships.
Doñana National Park: This extensive preserve including beach areas with moving dunes as well as marshy regions of great value concerning their fauna is located next to the outlet of Guadalquivir River, Matalascañas, Acebuche and El Rocio. Numerous species of migrant birds, on their way from Eurasia to Africa, stay here during the breeding phase.
Costa de la Luz: The “Coast of the Light”, in the provinces of Huelva and metropolis at the Atlantic Ocean, offers splendid beaches of fine sand. Major centres of attraction are Punta Umbria, Islantilla, Isla Cristina, Mazagon, Matalascañas, Barbate, Algeciras, Tarifa, Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Rota, Chipiona and Sanlucar de Barrameda.
Jerez de la Frontera: In the hometown of the world-famous Sherry wine several “Bodegas” might be visited. Jerez is the site of a renowned equestrian school. Wine and horses mark the ambience of this manorial town.
Jaen: Its medieval fortress dominates Jaen, which is located inland. Additional attractions are the 11th century Moorish baths and the Renaissance cathedral. The nearby Sierra de Cazorla is an outstanding nature reserve.
Andalusian Cuisine
Andalucían cuisine is characterized by gazpacho, fried fish, the jamones of Jabugo and Trevélez and the wines of Jerez, particularly sherry.
Fried Foods:
Frying in Andalusian cuisine is dominated by the use of an olive oil that is produced in the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba, Seville and Granada. The foods are dredged in flour ‘a la andaluza’ (meaning only flour, without egg or other ingredients). They are then fried in a massive quantity of hot olive oil.
Fish and Shellfish:
With five coastal provinces, the consumption of fish and shellfish is rather high: white shrimp from the Bay of Cádiz; prawns; murex; anchovies; baby squid; cuttlefish, flounder, etc.
Desserts:
Andalusian deserts are heavily influenced by medieval Andalusian cuisine. Notable dishes include pestiños (a deep-fried pastry bathed in honey), alfajores, amarguillos (a form of almond macaroons) from Medina Sidonia, the polvorónes (almond cookies of Estepa), lard bread, wine doughnuts, churro (a fried-dough pastry-based snack) and torrijas.
Music of Andalusia
Andalusia is ideal known for flamenco, a form of music and diversion that is mostly performed by Gypsy people and favourite throughout the world.
Improvised flamenco songs of ancient Andalusian origin are called Cante Hondo and are characterized by a reduced tonal ambiance, a demand of rhythm and repetition of notes. A single singer performs Cante Hondo songs.
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Pros and cons of pass rentals
Vacation and villa rentals are generally appealing for many reasons, some of the foremost being cost savings, more space, and no tips, taxes or service charges that are associated with hotel rooms. Villa and pass rentals have kitchens for cooking, living rooms for gathering together and offer the appeal of living in a real neighborhood and soaking up the rhythm of the locals. In the United States, hotels often enjoy the advantages of brand recognition, familiar reservation processes, and on-site staff for problem resolution. For a guest, booking a pass rental might mean stepping out of that comfort regularize in order to garner some of the advantages they offer. Perceived cons of pass rentals can include having to communicate directly with the property owner, being unfamiliar with the property, demand of on-site staff, and concerns about calibre or cleanliness — however, these are most often mitigated by dealing with villa or pass rental agencies that manage pass properties for owners and they offer many of the same services hotels offer to their guests, e.g., front desk check-in, 24-hour maintenance, in-house housekeeping, concierge service.
A timeshare is a form of ownership or right to the use of a property, or the term used to describe such properties. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple celebrations hold rights to use the property, and apiece sharer is allotted a period of time (typically one week, and nearly always the same time each year) in which they might use the property. Units might be on a part-ownership or lease/”right to use” basis, in which the sharer holds no claim to ownership of the property.
Vacation Property Resellers Home :The benefits generally outweigh the potential negatives, with many pass rentals offering more space (multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, separate living areas), more amenities (fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs), convenient locations (on the beach, ski-in/ski-out, city centers in real neighborhoods) and greater privacy than a hotel, including the fact that many villa/vacation rentals give travelers the option of inhabiting real neighborhoods in their destination and living like the locals. As of 2006, pass rental management has become a billion industry and continues to become more popular.
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While a few timeshare developers offer buy-back programs, the majority does not, leaving timeshare owners to come up with their own ways to sell timeshare they no longer wish to own.
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