Malta and Gozo host over 7,600 licensed short-lets

New figures tabled in Parliament by Tourism Minister Ian Borg provide an updated picture of Malta and Gozo’s accommodation landscape, covering holiday furnished premises (HFP), hotels, and applications for new developments.

According to the data, Malta currently has 6,049 licensed HFPs, offering 12,350 rooms and 23,576 beds. In Gozo, HFP numbers stand at 1,522 licences, covering 4,070 rooms and 8,160 beds.

Across both islands, this amounts to 7,616 HFP licences, 16,420 rooms, and a combined 31,736 beds.

Dr Borg also confirmed that the number of pending Tourism Policy Compliance Certificate (TPCC) applications – a requirement before a development permit can be sought – currently stands at 44 hotel projects, including extensions.

If all pending applications move forward, these would collectively represent 2,998 additional hotel rooms and 6,239 beds.

The Minister explained that licences for hotels can only be issued once the development is fully completed.

New hotels licensed in 2025

Up to October 2025, a total of 14 TPCCs were issued for new hotels or extensions, covering:

• 586 bedrooms
• 1,204 beds

During the same period, 13 new hotels were officially licensed, representing:

• 1,289 bedrooms
• 2,612 beds

Current stock of licensed hotels

The data also provides a breakdown of all hotels currently licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) up to October 2025.

Malta

• 18 five-star hotels
  3,759 rooms, 8,039 beds
• 55 four-star hotels
  9,512 rooms, 19,218 beds
• 81 three-star hotels
  5,770 rooms, 11,832 beds
• 16 two-star hotels
  259 rooms, 510 beds

Gozo

• 2 five-star hotels
  200 rooms, 400 beds
• 5 four-star hotels
  391 rooms, 788 beds
• 8 three-star hotels
  186 rooms, 366 beds
• 4 two-star hotels
  824 rooms, 1,638 beds

The figures show steady activity in both furnished holiday accommodation and hotel development, with new projects continuing to enter the pipeline while existing supply grows through new licences.

Moreover, the National Statistics office's (NSO) latest tourism data issued in October shows that a total of 3,075,483 tourists visited Malta in the first 9 months of 2025.