Tourist spending surges 21.3% in September as inbound arrivals exceed 393,000

Total inbound tourists for September 2025 reached 393,848, marking a 10 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, according to the latest data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

Of these, 371,238 visited Malta for holiday purposes, while 14,679 came for business. The largest share of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 (35.4 per cent), followed by the 45-64 group at 29.5 per cent. British, Italian and Polish residents collectively accounted for 46 per cent of all visitors.

The number of tourists visiting Gozo and Comino – including both same-day and overnight visitors – stood at 247,355, equivalent to 62.8 per cent of total inbound tourists.

Spending and stay patterns

Total nights spent increased by 8.9 per cent to reach 2.7 million, with 87.1 per cent of guest nights spent in rented accommodation. The average length of stay stood at 6.8 nights, slightly down from last year’s figure of 6.9.

Tourist expenditure for the month totalled €465.9 million, a 21.3 per cent increase over September 2024. Average spending per night rose to €173.3, reflecting higher visitor outlay across categories.

Within the expenditure breakdown, package spending rose by 23.7 per cent to €107.6 million, while non-package expenditure increased by 18.7 per cent to €186.3 million. Spending on air and sea fares climbed to €73.3 million, accommodation to €112.9 million, and other expenditure (including retail and entertainment) to €172.0 million.

Year-to-date trends

For the first nine months of 2025, total inbound tourists numbered 3,075,483, representing an 11.7 per cent increase over the same period in 2024.

During this period, total nights spent rose by 10.2 per cent to 19.6 million, while total tourist expenditure reached €3,029.9 million, up 18.7 per cent year-on-year. The average expenditure per capita increased to €985, compared to €928 in the same period last year.

Market performance

From January to September 2025, visitors from the United Kingdom led the pack with 639,168 tourists, up 19.4 per cent, followed by Italy (471,848), Poland (280,129), and Germany (193,165).

While several European markets posted growth, arrivals from Italy fell by 7.0 per cent, and those from France dropped by 4.5 per cent. Conversely, Polish and Irish tourists recorded notable increases of 50.0 per cent and 68.4 per cent respectively.

Overall, tourists from EU countries rose by 8.8 per cent, reaching 2,028,724, while non-EU markets grew by 17.9 per cent to 1,046,759 visitors.