by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:22 AM ET, Tue April 13, 2021
The island nation of Malta has allocated more than $4 million to pay travelers to stay at hotels this summer, beginning June 2021.
Malta's tourism website states that the higher the stars of the hotel, the higher the incentive will be. Guests can earn €100 (or about $119) per person for a 3-night stay at a 5-star hotel. Guests at a 4-star hotel can earn €75 (or about $89), and so on. The incentive will also be matched by the hotel, too, doubling the amount guests can receive. Guests staying on the smaller island of Gozo can receive an additional 10 percent.
According to Travel + Leisure, the country has enough money to pay roughly 35,000 travelers to stay on the island. An official application must be filled out on the Visit Malta tourism website to participate in the incentive program.
Most COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are expected to be lifted in Malta by June 1, according to Reuters. It also has the highest vaccination rate of any country in Europe, with at least one vaccine given to 42 percent of the population.
Malta, like much of Europe, is currently utilizing a stoplight color system to group countries that are able to travel to the country. At present, no countries are in the 'Green List' that allows travelers into the country without proper safety measures, like a negative COVID-19 test.
The 'Amber List,' however, includes fifty countries, including most of the countries in Europe as well as Canada. Travelers from these countries need a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before arrival.
The United States is currently in the 'Red List,' which means that travelers from the U.S. and other 'Red List' countries must quarantine for 14 days in one of the safe corridor countries and test negative before arrival.
Malta has been hit hard by the pandemic; tourism has been down 80 percent since last March. Around 27 percent of the nation's economy is tourism-based.
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