Malta Leads EU Tourism Growth

Malta led tourism growth in the European Union (EU) in 2025, recording the largest year-on-year increase in nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments. This is according to early estimates published by Eurostat statistics. 

Across the EU, tourists spent an estimated 3.08 billion nights in hotels, holiday dwellings, and campsites in 2025, representing a 2% increase compared to the previous year. This figure represents the highest level ever recorded and yet, Malta still outperforms the EU average with the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation increasing by 10%. 

Malta registered the highest proportion of all overnight stays by foreign guests (94.1%), followed by Cyprus (92.7%), Croatia (90.3%) and Luxembourg (88.1%). Domestic visitors only accounted for 732,000 nights of a total of 12.4 million nights spent by tourists in Malta.

The dramatic surge in visitors from EU to Malta reflected the Mediterranean tourism recovery, with UK visitors to Malta and Italian tourists to Malta comprising major source markets. British, Italian and French residents collectively represented nearly half of total inbound tourists, demonstrating Malta's enduring appeal amongst core European markets.

The positive statistics reinforce Malta’s growing popularity as an international tourist destination. Indeed, it recorded 3.56 million visitors, representing a 19.5 percent increase compared to 2023 and constituting a record-breaking year. The country also won the ‘Best International Tourism Destination’ award at the Italian Tourism Awards demonstrating the success and efforts of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).