Tourism Performance in Malta 2021 INTRODUCTION This report gives an overview of Malta's tourism performance in 2021. The information is based on official tourism figures published by UNWTO, Eurostat and the National Statistics Office, Malta.
MALTA Facts and Figures
Economic Importance of Tourism
Area
316 km²
Population (2021)
516,100
Population density per km² (2020)
1,637
Capital City
Valletta
Official languages
Maltese, English
Government
Republic of Malta
Religion
Roman Catholic (98%)
National Holidays
Freedom Day 31 Mar, Sette Giugno 7 Jun, Our Lady of Victories 8 Sept, Independence Day 21 Sept, Republic Day 13 Dec.
Currency unit (from 2008)
Euro
Time zone
GMT + 1 hour
GDP (2021)
EUR 14,685 million
GDP per capita (2021)
EUR 28,216
GDP real growth rate (2021)
11.3%
Employed population (LFS Q4 2021)
274,110
Unemployment rate (Average year 2021)
3.6%
Regular internet users (% population, 2021)
87.5%
International airport
Luqa
Seaports
Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta
Membership in International Tourism Organisations
World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), European Travel Commission (ETC)
Total tourist expenditure (2021)
EUR 870.7 million
Tourist expenditure per capita (2021)
EUR 899
Employment in accommodation (2021 yearly average)
5,555 full time; 1,852 part time
Employment in food and beverage service activities (2021 yearly average)
9,536 full time; 5,553 part time
Source: NSO
Page 1
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS 2021 Million; Percentage Change 2021/2020
World (405.0; 5.3%)
Europe (286.8; 20.2%)
Americas (82.4; 18.0%)
Middle East (18.5; -6.4%)
Asia & the Pacific (20.7; -65.0%)
Africa (18.4; 2.4%)
Source: UNWTO Barometer, May 2022
Main Indicators of Inbound Tourism to Malta 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Total inbound visitors (incl. overnight cruise passengers)
2,771,888
659,513
969,246
47.0%
Total inbound tourists
2,753,239
658,567
968,136
47.0%
Tourist guest nights
19,338,860
5,227,229
8,389,545
60.5%
7.0
7.9
8.7
+0.7 of a night
2,220,627
455,108
870,710
91.3%
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
January to March
425,892
370,216
33,249
- 91.0%
April to June
782,176
0
106,438
-
July to September
927,358
213,560
446,547
109.1%
October to December
617,814
74,790
381,902
410.6%
2,753,239
658,567
968,136
47.0%
Average length of stay Tourist expenditure (€ '000s) Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Inbound Tourists by Quarter
Total Inbound Tourists Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 2
INBOUND TOURISTS AND GUEST NIGHTS BY MARKET Inbound Tourists 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Australia
49,807
2,806
1,341
-52.2%
Austria
33,251
11,667
16,445
41.0%
Belgium
70,886
19,015
31,768
67.1%
France
239,140
70,875
133,912
88.9%
Germany
211,546
72,470
96,514
33.2%
Hungary
37,976
9,683
11,016
13.8%
Ireland
53,089
13,164
13,787
4.7%
Italy
392,955
93,977
127,774
36.0%
Netherlands
59,528
14,702
21,975
49.5%
Poland
104,228
40,647
68,172
67.7%
Scandinavia
124,411
18,271
31,279
71.2%
Spain
116,295
27,480
35,787
Switzerland
48,954
9,794
United Kingdom
649,624
USA
Guest nights 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Australia
477,105
26,007
19,914
-23.4%
30.2%
Austria
199,710
87,609
123,928
41.5%
20,538
109.7%
Belgium
458,266
123,713
236,981
91.6%
135,944
214,267
57.6%
France
1,768,292
528,201
1,156,078
118.9%
Germany
1,519,440
576,003
786,629
36.6%
50,525
8,612
13,321
54.7%
Other
53,175
75,375
41.7%
109,461
130,241
19.0%
Hungary
226,736
511,025
Total
2,753,239
658,567
968,136
47.0%
Ireland
347,940
87,516
109,500
25.1%
2,524,847
980,009
1,295,503
32.2%
Netherlands
433,665
102,027
183,148
79.5%
Poland
687,924
269,083
464,544
72.6%
Scandinavia
881,690
160,527
270,967
68.8%
Spain
726,039
175,533
312,331
77.9%
Switzerland
352,216
80,892
188,166
132.6%
4,439,274
1,036,765
1,730,720
66.9%
313,337
71,603
97,476
36.1%
Other
3,982,379
868,566
1,338,286
54.1%
Total
19,338,860
5,227,229
8,389,545
60.5%
*Inbound figures do not include overnight cruise passengers. Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Seasonality of Guest nights
Italy
United Kingdom USA
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism) Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism) Page 3
EXPENDITURE BY MARKET Expenditure (€ '000s)
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Australia
74,823
3,015
2,180
- 27.7%
Austria
27,622
9,345
14,435
54.5%
Belgium
51,517
11,730
27,702
136.2%
France
192,285
51,536
120,764
134.3%
Germany
175,592
56,685
96,532
70.3%
Hungary
21,639
4,803
6,989
45.5%
Ireland
46,144
10,120
14,933
47.6%
Italy
236,400
52,788
80,798
53.1%
Netherlands
46,880
9,482
21,905
131.0%
Poland
69,433
22,998
46,370
101.6%
Scandinavia
112,252
15,273
31,648
107.2%
Spain
76,015
14,266
26,208
83.7%
Switzerland
50,585
10,284
25,750
150.4%
United Kingdom
514,388
92,239
220,879
139.5%
USA
58,579
9,584
18,709
95.2%
Other
466,473
80,961
114,907
41.9%
Total
2,220,627
455,108
870,710
91.3%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 4
TOURIST EXPENDITURE Total Tourist Expenditure (€000s)
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Package expenditure
558,740
86,379
180,265
108.7%
Non-package expenditure: Air/Sea fares
396,951
79,970
126,040
57.6%
Non-package expenditure: Accommodation
453,347
93,498
202,479
116.6%
Other expenditure
811,589
195,261
361,926
85.4%
2,220,627
455,108
870,710
91.3%
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Package expenditure
683
536
813
51.7%
Non-package expenditure: Air/Sea fares
204
160
168
4.7%
Non-package expenditure: Accommodation
279
235
334
41.9%
Other expenditure
295
296
374
26.1%
Total
807
691
899
30.1%
Total Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Tourist Expenditure per Capita (€)
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Tourist Expenditure per Capita per Night (€)
2019 € 115
2020 € 87
2021 € 104
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 5
CRUISE TRAFFIC Cruise Passengers
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Transit
629,276
58,827
131,955
124.3%
Landed
136,420
191
9,962
5115.7%
Total number of passengers
765,696
59,018
141,917
140.5%
EU nationals
491,599
39,553
123,627
212.6%
Non-EU nationals
274,097
19,465
18,290
- 6.0%
Passengers on Cruise Liners Berthed in Gozo
8,160
0
3,229
-
Passengers staying overnight
18,649
946
9,263
879.2
Cruise liner calls
359
32
106
231.3%
of which:
Source: NSO (Cruise Passengers)
Page 6
OUTBOUND TOURISM Main Indicators of Outbound Tourism from Malta 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Outbound tourist trips
706,797
196,508
303,067
54.2%
Nights spent
4,608,643
1,653,622
2,832,473
71.3%
Average length of stay
6.5
8.4
9.3
+0.9 of a night
Expenditure (€ '000s)
606,220
139,629
252,599
80.9%
Source: NSO (Outbound Tourism)
Outbound Tourists by Country 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Austria
14,903
3,899
4,801
23.1%
Belgium
16,572
5,355
5,285
- 1.3%
Bulgaria
9,521
3,525
5,921
68.0%
France
28,061
7,680
12,356
60.9%
Germany
37,721
11,252
10,959
- 2.6%
Greece
11,159
3,519
9,603
172.9%
Hungary
11,247
3,425
6,678
95.0%
Ireland
6,483
2,129
3,218
51.1%
Italy
214,152
67,346
118,682
76.2%
Netherlands
16,830
5,267
6,347
20.5%
Poland
16,031
4,191
6,763
61.4%
Scandinavia
14,275
3,340
7,239
116.7%
Romania
6,254
1,789
2,477
38.4%
Spain
44,916
10,006
20,532
105.2%
Switzerland
7,559
2,218
2,801
26.3%
Turkey
9,061
3,991
10,778
170.1%
United Kingdom
126,376
29,070
26,433
- 9.1%
USA
5,960
:
946
-
Other
109,715
27,782
41,249
48.5%
Total
706,797
196,508
303,067
54.2%
Source: NSO (Outbound Tourism) : Unreliable - less than 20 sample observations.
Page 7
TOURIST ACCOMMODATION Tourist Accommodation Capacity 2021
Malta & Gozo
Malta
Gozo
Units
Beds
Units
Beds
Units
Beds
148
34,872
133
33,434
15
1,438
5 star
17
7,458
15
7,016
2
442
4 star
44
14,663
40
14,025
4
638
3 star
62
11,105
56
10,803
6
302
2 star
25
1,646
22
1,590
3
56
Tourist village
1
738
1
738
0
0
Guesthouses/ hostels
164
5,587
146
5,130
18
457
Total Serviced Accommodation
313
41,197
280
39,302
33
1,895
Self-Catering Accommodation
4,414
18,550
3,067
11,298
1,347
7,252
Total Tourist Accommodation
4,727
59,747
3,347
50,600
1,380
9,147
Hotels
Source: MTA Licensing Administration Office (as at January 2022)
Share of Guest Nights by Type of Accommodation
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 8
Inbound Tourists by Type of Accommodation
Rented Accommodation Collective Other Rented Non-rented Accommodation Total tourists
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
2,424,123
552,737
824,270
49.1%
1,709,966
407,938
623,186
52.8%
714,157
144,800
201,084
38.9%
329,117
105,829
143,866
35.9%
2,753,239
658,567
968,136
47.0%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Nights spent by Inbound Tourists by Type of Accommodation
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
16,230,780
3,760,383
6,534,367
73.8%
10,068,632
2,361,970
4,115,955
74.3%
6,162,148
1,398,413
2,418,413
72.9%
Non-rented Accommodation
3,108,080
1,466,846
1,855,178
26.5%
Total tourists
19,338,860
5,227,229
8,389,545
60.5%
Rented Accommodation Collective Other Rented
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 9
Guests & Nights (by Residents & Non-Residents) in Collective Accommodation 2021
Guests
Nights
Average Length of Stay
886,248
4,240,091
4.8
5 star
205,071
902,007
4.4
4 star
434,690
2,062,474
4.7
3 star
222,557
1,152,377
5.2
2 star
23,930
123,233
5.1
95,745
372,814
3.9
981,993
4,612,905
4.7
Guests
Nights
Average Length of Stay
826,492
4,069,026
4.9
5 star
185,563
839,368
4.5
4 star
410,234
1,987,759
4.8
3 star
211,841
1,128,088
5.3
85,857
348,313
4.1
912,349
4,417,339
4.8
Guests
Nights
Average Length of Stay
59,756
171,065
2.9
5 star
19,508
62,639
3.2
4 star
24,456
74,715
3.1
3 star
10,716
24,289
2.3
9,888
24,555
2.5
69,644
195,620
2.8
Malta & Gozo Hotel
Other Collective Accommodation* Total Collective Accommodation
*Comprises of guesthouses, hostels and tourist villages Source: NSO (Collective Accommodation Establishments)
Malta Hotel
Other Collective Accommodation* Total Collective Accommodation
*Comprises of guesthouses, hostels and tourist villages Source: NSO (Collective Accommodation Establishments)
Gozo Hotel
Other Collective Accommodation* Total Collective Accommodation
*Comprises of guesthouses, hostels and tourist villages Source: NSO (Collective Accommodation Establishments)
Page 10
OCCUPANCY RATES IN THE MALTESE ISLANDS Occupancy Rates in Malta & Gozo 2021 (%)
Malta & Gozo
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Year 2021
10.3
18.8
56.5
42.3
34.1
5 star
10.5
18.1
59.7
41.7
33.7
4 star
7.9
19.6
60.8
44.8
36.5
3 star
13.3
18.6
49.8
38.5
31.5
2 star
12.9
15.5
36.8
41.4
27.9
Other Collective Accommodation*
9.8
17.8
39.7
29.2
25.1
Total Collective Accommodation
10.2
18.7
54.8
40.9
33.1
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Year 2021
10.1
18.6
56.1
42.5
34.0
5 star
10.1
17.6
58.7
41.8
33.1
4 star
7.8
19.6
60.9
45.4
36.7
3 star
13.2
18.4
49.5
38.3
31.3
Other Collective Accommodation*
10.1
17.9
39.7
30.1
25.3
Total Collective Accommodation
10.1
18.5
54.5
41.2
33.1
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Year 2021
13.7
24.2
65.4
36.1
37.2
5 star
19.5
29.6
75.2
39.7
43.9
4 star
8.7
19.5
59.6
31.4
31.9
3 star
20.8
37.3
69.9
48.0
46.7
Other Collective Accommodation*
5.8
15.9
40.1
19.9
23.0
Total Collective Accommodation
12.4
22.7
60.3
32.9
34.5
Hotel
Malta Hotel
Gozo Hotel
*Comprises of guesthouses, hostels and tourist villages Source: NSO (Collective Accommodation Establishments) Page 11
Occupancy Rates in Malta & Gozo 2020 (%)
Source: NSO (Collective Accommodation Establishments)
Page 12
PROFILE OF INCOMING TOURISTS Demographic Profile
Gender 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
Males
1,368,550
351,402
502,914
43.1%
Females
1,384,689
307,164
465,223
51.5%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Age Group 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
0 - 24
544,597
145,789
211,890
45.3%
25 - 44
1,101,842
272,746
408,670
49.8%
45 - 64
826,816
190,396
274,576
44.2%
65+
279,984
49,635
73,000
47.1%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Organisation of Stay
Package Non-Package
2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
818,014
161,078
221,645
37.6%
1,935,226
497,489
746,491
50.1%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Page 13
Frequency 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
First time tourists
2,056,139
465,565
695,562
49.4%
Repeat tourists
697,100
193,002
272,574
41.2%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Duration of Visit 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
1 - 3 nights
600,879
161,821
174,627
7.9%
4 - 6 nights
821,265
189,588
257,584
35.9%
7 nights or more
1,331,096
307,157
535,925
74.5%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Mode of Travel of Incoming Tourists 2021
Air 97.5%
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Sea 2.5%
Page 14
PURPOSE OF VISIT Inbound Tourists by Purpose of Visit 2019
2020
2021
% Change 2021/2020
2,240,077
512,736
770,397
50.3%
Business & Professional
189,086
50,133
62,831
25.3%
Visiting Family/ Friends
208,069
68,986
90,870
31.7%
Other
116,007
26,712
44,038
64.9%
Total
2,753,239
658,567
968,136
47.0%
Holiday
Source: NSO (Inbound Tourism)
Studying English as a Foreign Language Year 2021
Students
Student Weeks
Tuition Weeks
Average Length of Stay
27,853
137,108
100,198
4.9 weeks
696
2,444
-
3.5 weeks
27,157
134,664
-
5.0 weeks
Grand Total (including remote learning) Remote Learning Total in Malta (excluding remote learning) Source: NSO (TEFL)
In 2020 and 2021, following disruptions and unprecedented scenarios due to COVID-19, foreign students attended physical courses in Malta, as well as online courses. The term ‘tuition weeks’ encapsulates all tuition weeks, those taken by students staying in Malta and those taking courses remotely. The tuition weeks for students visiting Malta is less than the student weeks of the same students, since, students might have spent more time in Malta than the course length. The average length of stay is based on student weeks.
Share of Top 6 EL Students by Citizenship 2021
Italy
France
Poland
17.6%
14.9%
12.2%
Germany 11.1%
Spain 6.9%
Japan 5.5%
Page 15