Nearly 2.8 million inbound tourist trips were registered in 2019, the National Statistics Office revealed on Wednesday, an increase of 5.9% over the same period in 2018.

Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 4.1%, surpassing 19.3 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €2.2 billion, 5.7% higher than that recorded in 2018. Total expenditure per capita stood at €807, a decrease of 0.2% when compared to 2018.  

Inbound Tourism: December 2019

An estimated total of 144,706 inbound visitors to Malta was registered for December 2019, an increase of 17.9% when compared to the corresponding month in 2018.

During the month under review, a total of 123,721 inbound tourist trips were undertaken for holiday purposes, while a further 14,416 were made for business purposes. Inbound tourists from Non-EU Member States went up by 23.4% when compared to the same period in 2018. Most inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 years (41.1%), followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket (32.4%).

Total nights spent went up by 15.1% when compared to December 2018, surpassing 1 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (47.1%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €98.3 million, an increase of 25.4% over the corresponding month in 2018.