Malta drew an estimated 438,519 inbound tourists in September 2026, 11.3% more than in the same month last year, according to the National Statistics Office. Those visitors spent 2,727,753 nights on the islands and parted with €487.2 million while they were here.

Most came for a holiday, 412,848 in all, while 16,615 travelled for business. The biggest group were aged between 25 and 44, at 36.5% of the total, followed by the 45 to 64 bracket at 32.1%. British, Italian and Polish residents together made up 47.4% of arrivals.

Total nights rose 1.5% on September 2025, and 86.7% of those guest nights were booked in rented accommodation. The average stay held at 6.2 nights. Spending of €487.2 million came in 4.6% above a year earlier, working out at €178.6 per night.

Gozo and Comino pulled in 272,910 visitors over the month once day trips are counted, or 62.2% of all tourists, though only 30,607 stayed overnight there, 7.0% of the total.

The nine months to September read more strongly. Inbound tourists reached 3,599,493, up 17.0% on the same period in 2025 and total nights climbed 9.6% to 21.5 million. Spending over the period came to €3,450.5 million, 13.9% higher than a year earlier.

Per capita spending did not keep pace. It slipped to €959 from €985 in 2025, so visitors are arriving in greater numbers while spending a little less each.

Poland stands out among the markets. Over the nine months, Polish arrivals jumped 48.8% to 416,841, while France fell 7.4% to 217,033. British residents stayed the single largest market, with 749,602 arrivals in the first nine months, up 17.3%.