The total inbound visitors for January 2021 stood at around 13,806, a 90.8% decrease when compared to the corresponding month in 2020, the National Statistics Office said.

This is a sharp decrease which is attributed to Covid-19.

During the month under review, a total of 11,536 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, followed by 1,553 tourists for business purposes.

Most inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 years (50.9%), followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket (22.3%).

The main markets were France and Italy, with a joint share of 47.3% of total inbound tourists.

Total nights spent went down by 79.8% when compared to January 2020, totalling to 190,853 nights. The largest share of guest nights (58.3%) was spent in non-rented accommodation establishments.

A general increase in the average length of stay was recorded, especially among tourists staying in non-rented and other rented accommodation. Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €11.7 million, a decrease of 87.6% over the corresponding month in 2020.