Malta ahead of schedule in pandemic recovery after 'hugely positive year'
Tom ParryMalta’s tourism sector is on track to recover from the Covid pandemic a year early than anticipated, with 2023 visitor levels set to surpass the record highs seen in 2019.
Speaking to TTG@WTM, Carlo Micallef, chief executive of the Malta Tourism Authority, said 2023 had been “a hugely positive year”, with room nights from January to August up by 7% on 2019 and 31% on 2022.
Tourist spend during the same period had also increased – up by 36% on 2022 and 18% on 2019 – with Italy, the UK, France, Germany and Poland proving Malta’s top-performing markets.
“Considering the challenges we have faced with airlift and labour shortages, plus the global economic situation, to achieve what we have this year has been excellent,” said Micallef.
Micallef revealed Malta’s ambition in 2024 was to move its focus away from driving visitor numbers and onto increasing tourist spend and encouraging visitors to travel during shoulder seasons.
The strategy will be fuelled by new four and five-star hotel openings, with the likes of Melia, Barcelo, Novatel and Doubletree set to open new properties, while Six Senses is slated to come to the lesser-known Maltese island of Comino in 2027.
“Tourism is between 20-25% of our GDP, and we do have a capacity limit to how many tourists can visit, so we want to make sure we are attracting quality visitors who can experience more and spend more,” said Micallef.
He also raised Malta Tourism Authority’s aim to expand its profile outside of Europe and reach more long-haul markets, highlighting Malta’s sponsorship deal with Manchester United.
“Our European markets can be thought of as low-hanging fruit, but we want to spread further next year – especially in North America, Australia, Asia and Latin America,” he added.
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