Malta’s inbound tourism surges by 14.6% in April 2025

Total inbound tourists for April 2025 were estimated at 351,165, marking a 14.6 per cent increase compared to the same month in 2024, according to fresh data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

This surge contributed to a January-to-April cumulative total of over one million inbound tourists (1,044,657), up 17.4 per cent year-on-year. Most visitors continued to arrive by air (345,090), though sea arrivals remained steady at just over 6,000.

A closer look at visitor demographics shows that the number of female tourists rose by 18.3 per cent, reaching 192,272, while male tourists increased by 10.4 per cent to 158,893. Age-wise, the largest growth was recorded in the 45–64 age group, which jumped 22.9 per cent, followed by the 25–44 segment at 15.6 per cent.

The EU remained Malta’s primary source market, accounting for 228,363 arrivals in April, with notable contributions from Italy (55,884), Germany (22,944), and Poland (28,494). Non-EU markets, however, showed stronger relative growth, up 23.5 per cent to 122,801 tourists. The United Kingdom stood out among these, sending 78,706 visitors, a 22.5 per cent increase from April 2024.

In terms of purpose, the vast majority (327,305) visited for holidays, while smaller segments came for business (16,586) or other reasons such as education and health (7,274). Both package and non-package trips recorded gains, with package tourists rising by 17.4 per cent to 90,645 and non-package tourists increasing by 13.7 per cent to 260,519.

Tourism to Gozo and Comino also saw robust growth: 194,126 tourists visited the sister islands, a rise of 21.7 per cent. Most were same-day visitors (179,083), though overnight stays on Gozo and Comino jumped by nearly 25 per cent.

The average length of stay in Malta remained steady at 5.7 nights, but longer stays (seven nights or more) rose by 19.1 per cent.

Spending figures underscored the economic impact of this tourism growth. Total tourist expenditure in April reached €296.2 million, a rise of 23.6 per cent compared to April 2024. Notably, spending by package tourists soared by nearly 31 per cent, while non-package expenditure increased by 23 per cent.

Poland, in particular, stood out, registering the strongest percentage growth among major source markets, with tourist numbers up by 46.9 per cent in April and by 30.3 per cent over the January–April period. Ireland also posted a remarkable 105 per cent increase for the month, reflecting a doubling of arrivals.

These figures signal a healthy rebound and continued momentum for Malta’s tourism sector in 2025, reinforcing its role as a vital pillar of the country’s economy.