Tourism Minister for Malta, Clayton Bartolo, announced that 2023 was a record year for the number of inbound tourists, exceeding the 3 million mark (3,002,823), even surpassing 2019 figures by 8.3%. Bartolo noted that 2023 proved to be the best year of all time for Malta’s tourism industry, including the number of inbound tourists, guest nights spent in Malta, and tourist expenditure. The Minister further stated that Malta was the best performing Mediterranean destination in 2023, and one of the first destinations in Europe to fully recover after the pandemic.

The increase from the U.S. & Canadian markets also showed extraordinary growth. According to Michelle Buttigieg, the Malta Tourism Authority North American Representative, the 2023 total number of visitors from the U.S. was 55,096, an increase of 35.6% over 2022 and a 9% increase over 2019 pre-COVID numbers. Canada also showed a 36.3% growth (20,820) over 2022 and an increase of 7.5% when compared to 2019 (pre-COVID figures). Buttigieg also pointed out that the cruise industry played a key role in this increase from the U.S. since Valletta, is a major port of call for Mediterranean cruise lines.

https://www.traveldailynews.com/statistics-trends/malta-tourism-authority-announced-that-2023-was-a-stellar-year-for-inbound-tourism/