Malta has received record number of tourists this year

According to preliminary data, this year Malta might set a new record in the number of regular and cruise tourists. Moreover, the cruise tourist flow is increasing very rapidly. If regular tourist flow in the period between January and October increased by only 7%, compared to the previous year’s figures, the number of tourists that came to the country on cruise ships is already higher than the final statistics of 2010. In October 2011 alone 76 thousand cruise tourists visited Malta.

The island’s Authorities expect this year’s numbers to be better than those in 2008, when the country was visited by 550 thousand cruise tourists. The development of the cruise industry is highly important for the island’s economy, because every cruise tourist spends at least €60. The annual income from cruise tourism amounts to roughly €30 million. This sector of tourism is receiving a lot of support from TUI, which chose Malta as its base port for this and two upcoming years.

The tourist flow from Russia has increased as well. In the January-June period of 2011 Malta was visited by 6557 tourists from Russia, according to Rosstat. That is 19% more compared to the last year’s figures. The increase in inbound tourism from Russia was especially high in the first three months, when it practically doubled.