Situated at the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta has a long tradition of international trade, business, manufacturing and servicing that goes as far back as the Phoenicians in the first millennium B.C. Malta became an important production centre for cotton woven goods and the island was covered with large manufactories and trade buildings, producing and exporting fine cloths and fabrics under the rule of Carthage. The Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, the Knights of St. John, the French and British all realised the economic potential of the Maltese islands. For close to two centuries, Malta was the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean home-port.

This laid the foundations for the island’s subsequent industrial development. This solid background has led to today’s favourable industrial climate that together with its pro-business environment makes Malta an ideal location for foreign direct investment. Today there are well over 200 foreign-owned manufacturing companies operating in Malta. Economic and political stability, healthy industrial relations and competitive labour costs have been the pillars sustaining the success stories of many a foreign company for the last 40 years.
Information courtesy of www.maltaenterprise.com

Getting around

The Maltese Islands are not very large, which makes getting around relatively trouble-free. The public bus service serves the major tourist areas; buses go practically everywhere and are cheap with the average ride being between twenty and thirty minutes Renting a car is a good option to get to the further reaches of the island, especially as taxis can be somewhat expensive. All the road signs are in English and driving is on the left. Major and local car hire organisations are located on Malta and Gozo. International. European and national driving licenses are acceptable.

A number of internationally based car hiring organisations, as well as local garages, also offer the services of chauffeur-driven cars. Renting scooters, motorbikes or mountain bicycles is also an option, but this type of travel can be somewhat limited as not all roads are two-wheel vehicle friendly. A regular ferry service links Malta to Gozo, taking about 20 minutes each way. There are also regular boat services between each island and Comino. Ferry services are available to Valletta. Information courtesy of: