VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Italy remained the leading destination for Maltese travellers as outbound tourism increased significantly during the first half of 2026, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
An estimated 419,940 overseas tourist trips were made by Maltese residents between January and June, marking a 7.6% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Italy accounted for 34.8% of all trips, with 145,986 visits, maintaining its position as the most popular destination. Spain ranked second with 39,924 trips (9.5%), followed closely by the United Kingdom with 38,977 trips (9.3%).
Outbound tourists spent a total of 3.11 million nights abroad, up 10.6% year-on-year, while the average holiday length increased slightly from 7.2 to 7.4 nights.
Although average spending per tourist fell from €967 to €925, total expenditure still rose by 2.9% to €388.5 million.
The figures were compiled through Tourstat, the NSO’s continuous frontier survey, which also measures inbound tourism.
Meanwhile, more than 2.13 million tourists visited Malta during the first six months of 2026, putting the country on track to surpass last year’s record of just over four million visitors.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
