Eight per cent of jobs are in tourism

Jobs related to the tourism sector last year amounted to 8.2 per cent of Malta's employment, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical arm.

Malta's dependency on tourism employment ranks second in the European Union and is only surpassed by Cyprus at 8.9 per cent.

These two countries are followed by Spain (6.7 per cent), Greece (6.5 per cent), Ireland (5.9 per cent) and Austria (5.7 per cent).

In Malta last year, 12,000 people were employed in hotels, restaurants and the catering sector, with 56 per cent of them being under the age of 34. On the other hand, Malta's female share of employment in tourism is one of the lowest in the EU, at 37.5 per cent, reflecting the general trend of female employment on the island, according to Eurostat.

The sector's share of employment in the EU stood at an average of four per cent, with 7.8 million persons employed in tourism-related activities.

The UK, Germany and Spain, each with 1.2 million employees, and Italy with one million had the highest number of individuals working in tourism.