The Malta Tourism Authority has launched its first mobile Internet site to target British travelers looking for a European holiday destination.

Created by Flix Marketing, London, the mobile site is yet another marketing effort for Malta to inform tourists about the beauty of this former British colony. Malta typically uses billboards, television and magazines to make its case.

"It's a good way to see more about Malta once you've seen an advert or to get more information on what Malta has to offer, through seeing it on mobile banners," said Candice Landsman, spokeswoman at Flix.

Consumers can text MALTA to 80231 to get a link that takes them directly to the Malta mobile site.

The site offers information about the Maltese islands, with the ability to consumers download free wallpapers, the TV commercial playing in Britain since December and the ringtone for the spot.
Consumers can also learn about events by signing up for email alerts on the site.

Located at http://www.visitmalta.com, the mobile site is visible only to British mobile consumers with Web-enabled phones.

The site is compatible with more than 900 handsets.

An estimated 450,000 British tourists are said to visit Malta each year.

Last year was a record-setting one for Malta, helped by competitive airfares in Europe. Budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet as well as British Airways national carrier Airmalta offer daily services to Malta. The flight is three hours from Britain.

Malta's mild year-round climate have attracted tourists to such events as the annual Isle of MTV concert and the Powerboat Formula 1 race, both in June, and the Rolex Sailing Middle Sea Race in the fall.

The country's tourism authority will now promote the site through mobile search and on- and off-portal banner ads supported by a text call to action on future Malta brand marketing.

Flix, whose platform hosts the Malta site, will also create promotional mobile campaigns to drive traffic to the site.

Malta is the latest client for Flix, which has worked with brands including Warner Bros., Nivea and Guinness World Records. Obviously, marketing a country through mobile requires a different approach.

"We're reaching out to as many people as possible, offering a way of measuring their print media, getting ahead of the competition by getting into the mobile space," Ms. Landsman said.