local news

When foot and mouth disease is a Godsend

THOUGH TOURIST arrivals in the first five months of this year may have dropped by 4,214 compared to the figure for the same period last year, French arrivals alone have increased to 4,428 over the same period in 2000.

In recent years the French market has witnessed a steady growth and one of the reasons behind such a huge growth was the Foot and Mouth crisis in England.

French students have traditionally visited England to learn the English language. Many stay with families or in guesthouses and the countryside was a popular spot for the French.

The Foot and Mouth epidemic has made the French stay away from the English countryside and many of them have opted for Malta for their English lessons.

Mr Robert Arrigo, who runs 80 per cent of the French market share in Malta believes that the Foot and Mouth crisis is not the only reason for an increase in the French market but cites incentives offered by some Maltese operators incorporated as another reason.

The number of tourist arrivals between January and May was one per cent lower than in the same period last year, down from 412,713 to 408,499. This May, the number of tourists reached 115,642, an increase of 2.5 per cent over the same month last year and it looks as if the French market again contributed to this increase.