July tourist arrivals increase by 20.8% to nearly 490,000

Malta recorded an estimated 489,494 inbound tourists in July 2026, an increase of 20.8 per cent over the same month in 2025, according to the latest NSO statistics.

Total nights spent reached 3.2 million, while tourist expenditure amounted to €538.4 million. During July, 465,182 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, while 13,031 travelled for business purposes.

People aged between 0 and 24 accounted for the largest share of inbound tourists at 38 per cent, followed by those aged 25 to 44 at 31.4 per cent. Residents of Britain, Italy and Poland together accounted for 45.1 per cent of total inbound tourists.

Total nights spent increased by 15.1 per cent compared with July 2025, reaching 3.2 million nights. Rented accommodation establishments accounted for 88.4 per cent of guest nights, while the average length of stay stood at 6.5 nights.

Tourist expenditure reached €538.4 million, up 19.1 per cent over July 2025. Average expenditure per night was estimated at €168.70.

A total of 314,708 tourists visited Gozo and Comino during the month, including both same-day and overnight visitors. This represented 64.3 per cent of total tourists.

Between January and July 2026, Malta welcomed 2.6 million inbound tourists, an increase of 18.6 per cent over the same period in 2025. Total nights spent rose by 11.1 per cent to 14.9 million.

Tourist expenditure for the first seven months of the year was estimated at €2.3 billion, which is 15.8 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of 2025. Expenditure per capita stood at €890, compared with €912 in 2025.

During the first seven months of this year, over 1.4 million tourists visited Gozo and Comino, including same-day and overnight visitors. This accounted for 54.9 per cent of total tourists.