Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said Thursday that “this was the best January in the history of tourism in our country.”

In light of our country’s rapid economic recovery following the pandemic, this upsurge makes us more likely to invest in more tourists to make sure we develop a sustainable future for businesses and families, Bartolo said at a Labour Party press conference.

“According to NSO statistics, 136,000 tourists landed on our shores in January 2023, which is a 7% increase in the amount of tourists registered in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, which was the previous record holder,” he said.

“Apart from these numbers, we saw encouraging signs in terms of tourist spending, which passed the €99 million mark in January 2023, indicating a 17% increase in tourist spending when compared to January 2019.”

The spending of tourists in our country surpassed the €2 billion mark, with every tourist coming to Malta spending an average of €121 euros every day, which is an increase of 9% when compared to pre-pandemic levels, Bartolo said.

PL MP Glen Bedingfield said that “the two primary characteristics that personify this present government are ‘investment’ and ‘trust’.”

“Everyone who lives in Cottonera can attest to these facts, as there has been over €35 million invested in this area over the last three years alone. This is an unprecedented investment, which the region has not seen since the end of the Second World War,” said Bedingfield.

“These investments are pouring into this oft-forgotten region, side by side with private investment,” concluded Bedingfield.