Maltese people planning their summer holidays abroad this year can sample the delights of Bologna. Italian airline Meridiana, which started to operate flights to and from Bologna last year has just announced plans to increase the frequency of its flights to this delightful Italian city.
The Italian airline was so satisfied with the results achieved by the Bologna-Malta flights last summer that it has decided to extend the schedule by two months this year, Meridiana’s area manager for Emilia Romagna, Marche, Toscana and Umbria Antonello Miccoli said.
He explained that the flights, which operate on Thursdays and Sundays, will start on 25 March and will continue until the end of September. The flight leaves Bologna at 11.55am and Malta at 2.50pm.
Speaking to Maltese journalists during a promotional tour to Bologna, Mr Miccoli said the airline was very satisfied with the results achieved last summer although he lamented that the response from the Maltese had not been so good. However, he said that the flights were launched too late last summer and the Maltese would have already planned their holidays. The operators did not have enough time to promote the new flights in Malta. He expressed confidence that the airline would have a better response this time round.
The promotional tour was organised by the Malta International Airport in its bid to attract more airlines to operate to and from Malta.
Mr Miccoli explained that in the four months that Meridiana operated, between June and September, the airline carried about 7,500 passengers to Malta. Most of the people who were brought to Malta were Italian students travelling to Malta to study the English language.
Last year, the airline carried a total of 4.6 million passengers to the various destinations on its schedule.
Fares to and from Malta start from a mere e9, excluding taxes. The flight lasts around 90 minutes.
Asked whether the introduction of flight operations by Ryanair to Pisa would have any effect on Meridiana’s operation to Bologna, Mr Miccoli replied: “We have competition everywhere but we still manage to do well.”
Bologna as a tourist
destination
Bologna, the regional capital of Emilia Romagna was first a colony and then a Roman municipality. Within its walls, Bologna was the first in the world to have a university in the 11th
century.
In the charming historical centre, said to be among the best preserved in the world, there are ancient palaces and churches, which are proof of the cultural relevance that Bologna has had in the course of the centuries.
There are nearly 40 kilometres of porticoes that decorate its streets, allowing visitors to capture aspects of life in Bologna. The city is a wonderland for shopaholics, with several glamorous boutiques and designer shops but for the less adventurous, there are also large and small street markets.
The Maltese journalists had a meeting with Dott.ssa Maria Cristina Santandrea, the Assessore al Turismo for the Emilia Romagna region, who said that Bologna looked favourably at direct flights to Malta, especially for Malta’s niche market of teaching English as a foreign language.
She said there was a historical connection between Bologna and Malta as much as there was between Italy and Malta. Bologna sees an incoming tourist population of around two million visitors every year; top of the visitors’ list are Germans, who thus create Bologna’s primary market. Last year, 118,000 Germans visited Bologna, followed by 88,000 visitors from the United Kingdom, 75,000 from France and several other thousands from Spain, China and Japan among many others.
She admitted that the fairs and conventions events were on the decline in Bologna and that they were working for these events to pick up again.
Dott.ssa Santandrea suggested a form of collaboration with the editors of a magazine distributed among youths and said it would be a good idea to promote Malta to youths. The magazine, called Blog, is distributed among among 30,000 Bolognese students who would be interested in coming to Malta to learn English.
Dott.ssa Santandrea said Bologna was a city of art and gastronomy and famous for its specialised fairs.
Rosette Fenech, MIA’s Head of Communications, said the Malta International Airport was proud to work closely with the tourism authorities in Bologna in order to attract as many Maltese nationals as possible to Bologna and vice versa.
MIA’s chief financial officer, Austin Calleja said the airport wanted to strengthen its relations with Bologna and with Italy as a whole. Malta was connected with direct flights from several airports in Italy, including Catania, Palermo, Naples, Venice, Milan, Rome and Reggio Calabria.
Mr Calleja said nearly five per cent of MIA’s budget was used to market Malta and the use of MIA facilities. He said the airport has been working closely to maximise Malta’s potential. He said over 2.8 million passengers passed through MIA last year, thanks to the 30 airlines that operate to and from Malta.
Mr Calleja said the MIA would continue to contribute to Malta’s tourism industry and would continue facing the challenges of the country’s tourism industry. He said its efforts in recent years saw a 73 per cent increase in tourist arrivals over 2004.
The colloquium, which was held at the Royal Carlton Hotel, was also addressed by Wilfred Kenely, the director general of the Federation of Industries who explained why Malta was ideal for foreign investment. He said the island’s position in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea was an advantage for companies which invested there because it can bridge the gap between Europe and North Africa.
He said that in recent years, the country saw an increase in investment in several industries, including the pharmaceutical industry as well as information technology, aeroplane services, film production, call centres and back-office services. He said more than e100 million were invested in Malta in 2006 and this was expected to double in 2007.
Communications and Competitiveness Minister Censu Galea, who flew to Bologna from Brussels, where he attended a European Council meeting, also addressed the colloquium. After giving a brief talk on Malta’s history, Minister Galea stressed that in Italy, Malta had to be promoted on what distinguished the country from any other tourist destination. He said that apart from being ideal for Italians to study the English language, Malta was also ideal for cultural tourism.
A Malta evening in Bologna
The Royal Carlton Hotel was the venue for a Maltese evening during which the 120-something guests got a taste of Malta’s hospitality and gastronomy.
Julian Sammut, the restaurateur and owner of Valletta’s Rubino, assisted by Maltese cookery expert Matty Cremona treated guests to a sumptuous gala dinner with traditional Maltese food.
The Italians loved the food and the positive comments made every Maltese person present proud.
Guests ate a salad with oranges followed by the traditional bean soup, kusksu.
The main dishes included baked pork legs and traditional bragjoli served with roast green peppers with honey.
Throughout the night, Meridiana Winery’s Isis Chardonnay and Marsovin’s Antonin Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabarnet Franc flowed freely.
On such a Maltese evening, it was obvious that guests would be entertained by traditional Maltese music which was left in the hands of the talented Gukulari Ensemble, led by Anna Borg Cardona. Other members of the folk band included Ramona Zammit Formosa and her husband Silvio Zammit on the flute, Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta on the harp and John Cassola on the drum.
Earlier that evening, Gozitan lace-maker Consiglia Azzopardi showed off her talent at traditional Maltese lace-making while Maltese goats’ cheese, galletti and Maltese sausage were available for tasting.
Lydia Caruana concert
Earlier, talented soprano Lydia Caruana held a concert in the Mozart Hall at the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna, accompanied by the Musici dell’Accademia orchestra, conducted by composer Mro Joseph Vella.
Silvio Zammit played the flute during the concert while Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta played the harp. Simon Abdilla Joslin played a solo piece on his violoncello.
I am no music critic to give my opinion on the concert but I can say is that it was truly enjoyed by both the Maltese and the Bolognese present.