Tourism is an important contributor to Malta’s economy, directly supporting 33 180 jobs and 14.9% of total employment in 2018. The contribution of tourism to Malta’s GDP in 2018 was 12.8%, making tourism one of the top five contributors to the economy. Total tourist expenditure was EUR 2.1 billion, an increase of 8% from 2017.
In 2018, there were 3.2 million international arrivals, an 11.0% increase on 2017. International tourist numbers have almost doubled since 2010. In 2018, Malta’s top three inbound markets for overnight visitors were the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany with a market share of 24.6%, 15.0% and 8.7% respectively, accounting for almost half of all inbound tourism. The UK market has grown by 14.2% over 2017 to reach 640 600 tourist in 2018, while, the Italian market has also grown by 7.4% to 390 600 tourists. The German market has fluctuated, with a 17.6% growth between 2017 and 2018, peaking at 227 000 tourists in 2018.
Domestic tourism in Malta is relatively small. It consists primarily of flows between Malta and the second island of Gozo, although there is a small but growing trend for residents of the main island to stay overnight in hotels on Malta. In 2018, resident tourism in collective establishments are estimated at 185 000 arrivals, an increase of 10.5% over 2017. Domestic tourists to the Gozo and Comino islands, numbered 227 121 in 2018, a decrease of 4.1% from 2017. Gozo and Comino residents who travelled to Malta in 2018 as domestic tourists totalled 18 356, a decrease of 23.3% from 2017.
