The chief executive of the Malta Tourism Authority, Carlo Micallef, does not believe that Malta is experiencing overtourism. He argued that even though Malta welcomed 4 million tourists in 2025 and is expected to welcome some 4.5 million this year, this influx is being spread throughout the entire year while visitors' average length of stay is much shorter than years' past.
In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, MTA CEO Carlo Micallef was asked an array of questions related to Malta's tourism industry and its surrounding concerns.
Micallef reasoned that visitors' average length of stay (ALOS) in the Maltese islands has decreased significantly since he first entered the tourism sector 30 years ago - from some 12 nights then to 5.7 nights now, he said, as people are travelling more frequently but for not as long.
Micallef also said that "we are not chasing numbers, but Malta is doing very well." He commented that "at the moment, we are on a high" as tourist numbers continue to increase whilst airlines and hotels aren't even offering discounts to make Malta more attractive, nor is anything being done to make it cheaper to come to Malta.
He stated that if the ALOS remained at around 12 nights per tourist whilst tourist arrival numbers remained at circa 4 million annually, the impact of tourists in the country would be far greater as, naturally, the country would be carrying more people at a given time.
Following this, this newsroom asked the MTA how many tourists are in the Maltese islands at a moment in time, at peak.
Data provided to this newsroom by the Malta Tourism Authority shows that "at the highest peak in the month of August, assuming an even spread, it is estimated that there would be circa 100,000 tourists at a single given time." Malta's updated estimated population currently stands at 588,254 people.
Combining this with the fact that Malta was found to have the least seasonally pronounced tourism industry in the European Union in 2025, according to Eurostat, Micallef said that the quantity of total tourists visiting the Maltese islands is well spread out across the entire year, unlike years' past when Malta's tourism industry was characterised for its strong summer peaks and winter decline.
"We are one of the best, if not the best, in winter tourism, when normally, Malta in the past used to close down in the winter," the MTA CEO said.
This Eurostat finding had found that July and August - Malta's two busiest months of the year - were responsible for 21.9% of all overnight stays in tourist accommodations in 2025. This was the lowest share observed out of all EU countries, meaning that Malta's tourism industry is, statistically, the least seasonal, despite being a historically regarded summer destination.
"In the past, we had tourism that peaked in the summer months. Summer is still busy, but nowadays we have tourism all year round," Micallef said.
In 2023, just under 3 million tourists visited the Maltese islands; this rose to 3.5 million in 2024, increased by another 500,000, to 4 million inbound tourists, last year. Half a million more tourists are expected to visit the country once again this year.
When asked what Malta is doing to prevent having overtourism in the future, if it's not present already, as Micallef says, the CEO noted Valletta and Mdina to be "the main areas where a lot of tourists congregate," adding that the MTA is collaborating with the Valletta Cruise Port to stagger cruise ships' arrival times into the Grand Harbour. Micallef noted that the MTA is also working with industry stakeholders so that not all cruise excursions begin in Valletta, to avoid having a concentrated few thousand visitors from entering the capital city at once.
The MTA CEO believes that rather than being signs of a new normal, tourist arrival numbers are cyclical and that he wouldn't be shocked to observe a downturn in a few years' time, although not ideal. Hence, he said that "we must really capitalise on what we have and ensure the long-term future of this industry, which is a major contributor to Malta's economy."
Micallef observed that tourists' average spend per night in Malta is on the rise in nominal and real terms. Micallef remarked that Malta has maintained this profitability "notwithstanding the huge increase in bed stock - in hotels, collective accommodation, rest houses, different star ratings of hotels, as well as short-term rentals."
"We have continued to perform very positively, notwithstanding the endless supply of new beds. And we managed to keep a profitable tourism industry all year round. It's a big achievement, what we've done," he said.
At the time of this interview, whether or not Malta has been experiencing overtourism has remained a question on people's lips that typically reappears as the peak summer period returns.
Overcrowded
Earlier this July, the New York Post named Malta as Europe's most overcrowded island destination and coupled Gozo and Comino together in 14th place. Additionally, a local Instagram page named "Overtouristed Malta" has dedicated itself to "protesting unsustainable overtourism in Malta" and has racked up over 5,000 online followers in just two and a half months since being set up.
Over two years ago, in May 2024, economist Lino Briguglio told this newsroom that Malta had exceeded its carrying capacity in terms of tourist arrivals and that the issues associated with large tourist influxes were being exacerbated by the country's disorganised infrastructure and weak traffic management.
In response to this, CEO Micallef stated that he respects Briguglio and that the economist is entitled to his own opinion. He followed this by commenting that Monaco, despite being the most densely populated country in Europe, "manages very well," quipping afterwards, "Why can't we be the same as Monaco?"
"We need to have more discipline; we need to expect and accept discipline," Micallef said.
Micallef stated that with tourism thriving all year round, tourism's impacts on local life don't just go away once the summer period ends, "it's spread throughout the 12 months of the year." Hence, he said that "we need to manage tourism better" and be more disciplined, including in the way tourism operations and local traffic are managed, and in how restaurants' tables and chairs are set up in public spaces, such as pavements or streetscapes.
On the latter, Micallef said that while this practice is "done all over the world," Malta should see that adequate passage is allowed all the time in the setting up of tables and chairs outdoors, for ambulances, hearses (for funerals), and any other needs.
When asked if he has reservations over this practice, he answered that "one has to see on a case-by-case basis ensuring that there is a balance between the needs of the community and the needs of business." He observed that once a licence is given for a restaurant to do this, the MTA must ensure that safety measures and other parameters are observed.
"Does it take away from residents? Perhaps. But even the Maltese sit there. There needs to be a holistic approach to things," said the MTA CEO on tables and chairs set up in public spaces.
Micallef also mentioned that the country is investing in all its infrastructure, such as its roads, electricity systems, and water supply, and that the income gained from tourism - as a major contributor to the Maltese economy - is allowing the Maltese government to invest "in what is needed for the destination."
Infrastructural deficiencies
When asked if he is concerned that local infrastructural deficiencies, e.g., the recent spate of power cuts, might impact visitors' inclination to return to the Maltese islands in the future, Micallef stated that while infrastructural improvements are required, e.g., figuring out how to avoid having so much garbage left on our streets, tourists' satisfaction in the Maltese islands remains "very high."
He commented that "we do not rest on that" and that "we need to improve" in this regard, but also said that perhaps locals are too critical, as a symptom of living here and seeing all the negatives. That being said, Micallef noted that "there are ways to improve" and that the MTA is ready to work with anyone looking to do that.
"Sometimes we are too critical. A lot of us are keyboard warriors, ready to complain, but other destinations have their problems too," the MTA CEO said.
Infrastructural issues led this discussion to the temporary closure of several bays since the summer began. When asked if the MTA is aware of the exact reasons behind some of these bays' closures, CEO Micallef referenced "instances where there are problems in the sewage systems."
"It is not a nice thing to have bays closing," he said.
Micallef said that in many such instances, such issues stemmed from private residences or commercial buildings where problems in their drains affected adjacent bays. He said that on very rare occasions, the "state-owned main sewer" was the root of the issue, though this is uncommon as regular tests and checks are done on these parts of the sewage system.
The MTA chief rejected the idea that these issues derived from overcapacity and pinned these issues to damages incurred during construction works, "poor workmanship," or potential sabotage through large items, like a big stone wrapped in cloth being placed there to seemingly block it. Micallef cited how on other occasions, concrete was poured into the system (whether intentional or not remains a mystery) or how goat and calf carcasses were tossed into the sea instead of being disposed appropriately at the Public Abattoir.
"There are genuine cases where the system is broken, but, in many cases, this is poor workmanship or outright...people who want to cause problems," he said.
Defining 'quality tourism' and how Malta attracts 'quality tourists'
Tourism discourse in Malta has centred around the term "quality tourism" for several years now, so much so that Micallef even acknowledged that using the term "has become quite cliché." But what exactly is meant by "quality tourism?"
The MTA chief executive said that while this can be interpreted in many ways, his definition "is one that matches what best we can offer. Our history, our culture, our traditions, our way of life, the tourism that, yes, is willing to spend good money for the right accommodation, for the right gastronomic experience, for the right experiences in our islands which are in line with our character."
He said that Malta is getting this kind of quality tourism, i.e., "the type of tourism that comes to Malta to explore and experience what the Maltese islands can offer," from regions such as the USA, Canada, Asian markets, and European markets like Germany, Italy, and the UK.
Micallef stressed that while tourists' spending power is important, in his view, the type of tourist Malta attracts is a greater priority point.
Rather than targeting people from any of the markets mentioned previously, the MTA attracts quality tourists by profiling the type of tourist it wants to attract and going straight to those audience via social media.
Micallef shared that the MTA uses social media to target "very finite audiences" and attract the "persona" it is interested in. For instance, rather than opting for mass advertising, the MTA targets people from wealthier cities, postcodes, and countries, as well as their social media profiles.
The Authority head said that the MTA's advertising is "very focused to the type of experience that these people want to experience, e.g., people who travel and visit archaeological attractions, people who go abroad and show interest in the country's gastronomy, wines, the expenses."
"We target those people, we target those audiences that fit our objective - people that have a certain income, people that live within a 100-150km radius of airports with direct flight connections to Malta and are interested in travelling," he said.
"Nowadays, with algorithms in social media, our social media knows us more than we know ourselves," Micallef said, "we set up our strategy, the overall strategy, but then we do segment and niche marketing. We do not advert for all. We target our advertising according to the audience. It could be by age, it could be by interest, it could be by income and locality."
Micallef stated that the MTA's targeted marketing has managed to turn Malta into an all-year-round destination. He said that more families and people close to residents visit Malta on holiday in summer. Besides this target group, the MTA also targets, for example, people who can go away on holiday because they are empty nesters, of a certain age, of a certain income, who do active sports, or who can travel frequently for short breaks.