Tourist arrivals to Malta surge 22.3% in May as spending nears €420 million

Malta welcomed 457,636 inbound tourists in May 2026, marking a 22.3 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, while total visitor expenditure climbed to €419.9 million, according to new figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The strong performance continues the country's positive tourism trajectory, with 1.67 million inbound tourists visiting Malta during the first five months of 2026, up 17.9 per cent year-on-year.

Holidaymakers remained the backbone of the sector, with 424,926 tourists travelling to Malta for leisure purposes, while 23,791 visitors arrived for business-related travel. Visitors aged 25 to 44 accounted for the largest share of arrivals (37.4 per cent), followed by those aged 45 to 64 (34.2 per cent). British, Italian and Polish tourists together represented almost 45 per cent of all arrivals during the month.

Tourists spent a combined 2.6 million nights in Malta during May, an increase of 17.5 per cent over the previous year. Around 88 per cent of all guest nights were spent in rented accommodation, while the average stay stood at 5.7 nights, slightly below the 5.9-night average recorded a year earlier.

Total tourism expenditure increased by 15.5 per cent to €419.9 million, with average spending reaching €162.10 per night. However, expenditure growth lagged behind the rise in tourist numbers, resulting in lower average spending per visitor. During the first five months of the year, total expenditure reached €1.34 billion, up 14.7 per cent, while per capita expenditure fell from €823 to €800.

The UK remained Malta's largest source market, with 97,556 British tourists visiting in May, a 22 per cent increase over the same month last year. Italy followed with 58,920 visitors, while Poland continued its rapid growth, recording 48,385 arrivals, up 57.7 per cent year-on-year. Germany also posted strong growth of 43 per cent, welcoming 27,294 visitors during the month.

Business tourism also recorded robust growth, with arrivals for business and professional purposes increasing 32.8 per cent in May to 23,791 visitors. Non-package travel continued to outpace package holidays, rising 24.6 per cent, compared to a 15.6 per cent increase in package tourists.

Gozo and Comino continued to benefit from the tourism boom, attracting 268,229 visitors during May, equivalent to 58.6 per cent of all inbound tourists. This included both same-day and overnight visitors and represented a 20.8 per cent increase over the previous year. For the January to May period, visits to the sister islands totalled 845,587, accounting for just over half of all inbound tourists.