Number of tourists up by nearly 18% in first five months – NSO

Inbound tourists for the first five months of 2026 amounted to 1,673,602, an increase of 17.9 per cent over the same period in 2025, the NSO said Wednesday. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 12.0 per cent, reaching 9.2 million nights.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €1,339.6 million, 14.7 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2025. Total expenditure per capita decreased to €800 from €823 in 2025.

The number of tourists visiting Gozo and Comino, including both same-day and overnight visitors, totalled 845,587, or 50.5 per cent of total tourists.

Total inbound tourists in May 2026 were estimated at 457,636, an increase of 22.3 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2025.

During the month under review, a total of 424,926 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, and 23,791 tourists came for business purposes. The largest share of inbound tourists consisted of persons aged between 25 and 44 (37.4 per cent), followed by the 45-64 age bracket (34.2 per cent). British, Italian and Polish residents made up 44.8 per cent of total inbound tourists (Table 4).

Total nights spent went up by 17.5 per cent when compared to May 2025, reaching 2.6 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (88.0 per cent) was spent in rented accommodation establishments. The average length of stay of total inbound tourists stood at 5.7 nights.

Total tourist expenditure stood at €419.9 million, an increase of 15.5 per cent over the corresponding month in 2025. The average expenditure per night was estimated at €162.1.

The number of tourists visiting Gozo and Comino, including both same-day and overnight visitors, totalled 268,229, or 58.6 per cent of total tourists.