Travel and tourism in Malta - statistics & facts

Malta’s strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea, its rich history, and architectural tradition have long made the island an attractive tourist destination. Prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Malta was over two billion euros – a staggering 15 percent of Malta’s GDP – however, it had dropped to around 980 million euros in 2021. Despite remaining below pre-pandemic levels, this figure shows a sign of recovery compared to the first year of the health crisis. In addition to a declining contribution to the GDP, the pandemic also caused a loss of around 6,500 travel and tourism jobs on the island. However, the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Malta partially recovered in 2021, resulting in around 51 thousand jobs. Something that remained unchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic is the pivotal role played by leisure visitors, accounting for 88 percent of travel and tourism spending in Malta in 2021.

Tourism in Malta during the COVID-19 pandemic

Even though the number of domestic travelers in Malta experienced substantial growth during the pandemic, inbound visitors still made up the largest volume of arrivals in the country. In 2021, the number of international tourists in Malta rose by nearly 47 percent over the previous year, totaling 968 thousand. This figure, however, only represented 35 percent of the international tourists that visited the country in 2019. Looking at the leading inbound tourism markets for the island, travelers from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Germany spent the highest number of nights in Malta in 2021. The same four countries also recorded the highest inbound tourist expenditure in Malta that year, with the UK topping the list, while France and Germany ranked second and third, respectively.

Cruise tourism in Malta

The country’s hot summer weather and the renowned beaches of the Maltese archipelago helped Malta become one of the leading Mediterranean ports based on cruise passenger volume. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic did not spare this segment either, with the number of cruise liner calls in Malta declining by over a third in 2021 compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the health crisis also caused a shift in the demographics of cruise passengers in Malta. While visitors aged 60 to 79 recorded the highest number of arrivals prior to the pandemic, they accounted for the second-largest group of travelers in 2021, behind cruise passengers aged 40 to 59.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jun 15, 2022

Key insights

Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Malta
980.4m EUR
Share of leisure spending out of total travel and tourism spending in Malta
88%
Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Malta
51.1k jobs
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Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Malta from 2019 to 2021 (in million euros)

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Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Malta 2019-2021

Number of international tourists in Malta from 2001 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

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Number of inbound tourists in Malta 2001-2022

Number of international tourists in Malta from 2019 to 2022, by age group (in 1,000s)

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Number of inbound tourists in Malta 2019-2022, by age group

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