The impact of low cost carriers on the Maltese travellers’ decision making process

Abstract

The introduction of Low Cost Carriers in Malta in 2006 has significantly influenced the Maltese consumer’s behaviour toward travelling. The Maltese outbound market, even if considerably small compared to the inbound tourism market, is an interesting segment to analyse; the research has been set out due to the fact that the local travelling market deserves further attention. Low Cost Carriers have deeply impacted Malta’s tourism industry, however attention is often limited to the number of inbound passenger’s movements. The aim of the long essay is to explore the outbound tourism market and how, in recent years, low-fares airlines have contributed to moulding the Maltese travellers’ decision making process. Furthermore, due to the fact that low cost carriers operate on secondary or regional airports, the new travelling trends that have been created among Maltese will be outlined.

With the help of a number of local tourism stakeholders and past studies, it has been possible to assess that Maltese behaviour toward travelling has drastically changed throughout the years following the entrance of Low Cost Carriers in the island. The Maltese person’s mind-set shifted from one long holiday per year to frequent and short holiday breaks, and new trends have been created among those who are now willing to explore “less-popular” destinations. As a consequence of the online-booking systems provided by these carriers, Maltese people rely significantly on the internet as a means for air-ticket bookings and gathering information about the destinations available. Finally, recommendations will be provided such as the need for further studies on the Maltese outbound market.