Malta will pay travelers to book hotel stays to make up for COVID-19 losses

This Mediterranean island is paying travelers to vacation.

Malta, the island in the Mediterranean Sea just south of Sicily, will pay travelers who book a five-star hotel upwards of $100 per booking – an incentive to vacation in style and contribute to its hospitality economy following COVID-19 shutdowns, according to the tourism authority.

Guests who book lower-tier hotel stays will also be able to cash in, according to the Malta Tourism Authority. A four-star hotel booking will get around $90 back; and a three-star hotel booking will pay close to $60. Five-star accommodations, however, will have the most payback with guests getting back close to $119.

And if that’s not enough of a financial incentive to consider making the trip, hotels that fall under each category say they’ll double the amount, meaning if a guest books a room at a five-star hotel, they’ll get back close to $238 for a three-night stay, according to Reuters.

A number of European travel destinations have put out promotions during the pandemic to lure in guests and boost local economies after COVID-19-related shutdowns. The Italian village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in October offered to pay up to $52,022 to attract younger residents to the Abruzzo region of southern Italy giving them access to a monthly grant for three years and a payment of around $23,710 to start a business in the village.

And in January, the historic Sicilian village of Tronia incentivized buyers to get paid to live there by auctioning homes off for $1 online, according to the town’s tourism website.

While more tourist-driven destinations are promoting travel with the widespread distribution of vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues urge against traveling to Malta citing it has a “very high level of COVID-19” on its website.