These statistics were disclosed during an industry event hosted by the Malta Tourism Authority, entitled Writing History Together, attended by Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness Clayton Bartolo, MTA Chairman Dr. Gavin Gulia, MTA CEO Carlo Micallef, MTA personnel, and industry stakeholders.

Minister Bartolo remarked on the swift recovery, noting that it took less than three years to surpass the 2019 levels, a year earlier than anticipated. He emphasized the successful efforts in diversifying markets, broadening the age range of visitors and expanding the reasons for visiting Malta.

During a presentation by MTA Deputy CEO and Chief Officer for Strategic Development Leslie Vella, it was demonstrated that Malta’s tourism recovery from the pandemic has outpaced that of many other Mediterranean countries.

While global tourism numbers still lag behind pre-pandemic levels, at 88% of 2019 figures, travel to Mediterranean countries in Europe has increased by 1% compared to five years ago, a rate lower than Malta’s impressive 8% rise. Tourists spent a total of €2.7 billion in Malta in 2023, averaging €132 per day per tourist, marking a one-fifth increase from 2019.

In 2023, the majority of visitors originated from Italy, closely followed by the UK. Italian and British tourists comprised nearly 40% of all inbound tourists, with French and German visitors also showing strong numbers. Polish tourism experienced remarkable growth, with a 60% increase and over 167,000 Polish visitors to Malta last year.

MTA CEO Carlo Micallef explained MTA’s marketing strategy – one that is data driven, focused on higher income experiential traveller demographics, agile to adjust to get best results and customer centric to engage with the potential tourists to our Islands. While emphasizing the significance of marketing initiatives, Mr. Micallef also highlighted the Authority’s pivotal role in enhancing Malta’s appeal to tourists and refining its tourism offerings. He underscored the ongoing commitment to further improvement in the months and years ahead, aiming to sustain the revitalization of Malta’s tourism industry.

MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia said that the MTA has every reason to celebrate the fact that, once more, Malta is bucking the trend and outperforming the global and regional performances. He extended thanks and appreciation to all MTA staff for their substantial contributions that culminated in this historic achievement.