Malta saw a surge in inbound tourism this September, welcoming 361,015 tourists, a 20.7% increase compared to the same month last year, according to new figures published by the National Statistics Office. 

The majority of visitors arrived for leisure, with 339,497 travelling for holiday purposes, while 15,078 came for business.

British, Italian, and French tourists made up almost half (47.1%) of the arrivals, and the largest share of travellers fell into the 25-44 age range (36.4%), followed by the 45-64 bracket at 28.5%.

Tourist nights spent in Malta rose sharply, up by 15.6% to nearly 2.5 million nights.

Rented accommodations continued to dominate, with 86.8% of guest nights occurring in these establishments. The average stay length was recorded at 6.9 nights.

Tourism spending hit a new high, surpassing €385.8 million in September alone - a 24.1% increase over the previous year. This translated to an average expenditure of €154.8 per night.

Gozo and Comino were particularly popular destinations, drawing 224,950 visitors or 62.3% of total arrivals, including both day and overnight stays.

Growth extended beyond September, with the first nine months of 2024 showing a 21.1% increase in total inbound tourists.

From January to September, 2.77 million tourists visited the islands, up from the previous year, bringing nearly 17.9 million guest nights, a rise of 13.7%.

Cumulative expenditure for this period reached €2.6 billion - 23.4% higher than in 2023. Average spending per tourist also climbed, reaching €926 compared to €908 last year.

Gozo and Comino continued to attract a substantial share of these tourists, with 1.63 million visitors choosing to explore the islands, amounting to 59.1% of total arrivals from January to September.