Major tour operators are reporting an uptick in holiday sales to Malta. Mercury Holidays revealed forward bookings for June to September this year are up 366% compared to the same period in 2021, with June being the most popular departure month to travel this summer.

Meanwhile, Love Holidays has made more bookings to Malta than in 2019, with a surge in sales for June to September this year, compared to the past couple of years.

The jump in sales is linked to the updates on travel restrictions to the country, with fully-vaccinated UK visitors no longer required to do pre-departure covid tests. Malta has also removed its requirement for pre-travel authorisation for countries on its high-risk “dark red” list, which has also been scrapped.

Malta Tourism Authority’s director Tolene Van Der Merwe said: “People are feeling a lot more confident in returning to international travel, clearly demonstrated by the dramatic rise in advanced bookings, and emphasises Malta’s place as a key destination for Brits this summer. Now that pre-departure PCR testing measures for UK tourists travelling to Malta have ended, individuals feel reassured and have found it easier to travel abroad again.”

To celebrate this increase, Malta is hosting a wine and food pop-up experience at BoxPark Shoreditch in London from 15-16 June 2022, with a special appearance from ex-Manchester United and England footballer Wes Brown and a hand-painted mural of the Maltese islands displayed on Ebor Street until 26 June.