The hospitality and tourism sectors have reported a busy New Year’s Eve, according to the Chamber of SMEs.
Fifty-thousand people flocked to Valletta for the celebrations and St Julian’s saw large crowds as predicted. Clubs, bars and restaurants enjoyed high footfall throughout the night, according to operators.
Stakeholders catering for private parties, such as those taking place in homes and rented villas, also experienced high demand.
“We’ve heard very good reports from Valletta and St Julian’s as well as from across the rest of the country,” said Chamber of SMEs deputy president, Philip Fenech.
“In places like Mellieħa and Qawra, while attendance was good, the concentration of bookings was quite pocketed.
“Some hotels, for example, reported full occupancy while others were less busy.”
The fireworks display in Mellieħa is thought to have attracted more people to the area this year, though the decision to sponsor the event caused controversy due to the tourism ministry’s decision not to sponsor the annual display in Valletta.
Mellieħa forms part of the electoral district represented by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.
Fenech emphasised the positive atmosphere of the evening, which was the first New Year’s Eve to take place without COVID-19 restrictions.
“The virus pandemic was all about social distancing but the hospitality industry is about social intimacy,” he said.
“This New Year’s Eve, the industry got a lifeline after the last two years.”
Despite high numbers of revellers, busy areas like Paceville “didn’t report serious unruly behaviour”, Fenech added.
Gozo Tourism Association CEO Joe Muscat told Times of Malta the island had been busy and that catering establishments had experienced very high occupancy.
Victoria’s Independence Square and adjacent streets were “jam-packed”, said Muscat, noting the success of the area’s programme of entertainment that evening.
“We expect the numbers of visitors this New Year’s Eve to be the best since the COVID outbreak and close to pre-pandemic levels.”
On Boxing Day, long queues of vehicles waiting to board the ferry to cross the channel stretched from Dawret il-Mellieħa to Ċirkewwa.
The association was “pleasantly surprised” at the high numbers of visitors seen over the weekend, said Muscat.
The strong weekend also meant a busy time for taxi services, with ride-hailing companies experiencing high demand.
“It was a very busy night and the higher prices and longer wait times were all direct results of pure market forces” said eCabs co-founder Matthew Bezzina.
“On a night like New Year's Eve, self-employed drivers have the option to spend the night with their families and friends or to work. Surge pricing, therefore, encourages drivers to get on the road and keep wait times low.”
The company reported that the average trip distance was 7.2km with St Julian’s, Valletta and Sliema being the busiest localities on the night.
Malta is expected to have welcomed 2.2 million tourists in 2022, according to the Malta Tourism Authority, though official figures have not yet been released.
This number shows a strong post-pandemic performance when compared to the 968,136 tourists who visited in 2021 and the 658,567 in 2020.
The National Statistics Office reported that, in 2019, tourist numbers had reached 2.7 million.