Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542709
MALTA led tourism growth in the European Union in 2025, recording the largest year-on- year increase in nights spent at tourist accommodation as overall EU tourism reached a new historic high, according to early estimates published by Eurostat. Across the EU, tourists spent an estimated 3.08 billion nights in hotels, holiday dwellings and campsites in 2025, an increase of 61.5 million nights, or 2%, compared with the previous year. The figure represents the highest level ever recorded, confirming the continued ex- pansion of tourism following the post-pandemic recovery. Malta stood out among mem- ber states, with the number of nights spent in tourist accom- modation rising by 10% com- pared with 2024, the strongest growth recorded anywhere in the EU. The island was followed by Poland, which registered a 7% increase, and Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg with growth of 6%. Tourism in other Med- iterranean destination grew by a more modest rate than Malta. Tourist nights in Cyprus in- creased by 4%, by 2% in Italy, Greece and Spain. Slight de- clines were recorded in Roma- nia, where tourism nights fell by 1%, and Ireland, which saw a 2% decrease. In absolute numbers, the big- gest increase in nights spent was observed in France (+13.7 million nights), Italy (+9.8 mil- lion nights) and Spain (+8.1 million nights). International tourists ac- counted for 48.6% of the 3.08 billion nights spent in 2025. Spain attracted the most for- eign tourists (330 million nights, corresponding to 64.2% of all tourism nights spent in Spain in 2025), followed by It- aly (264 million nights, 55.5%), France (150 million nights, 31.9%) and Greece (131 million nights, 83.8%). At EU level, growth was driv- en primarily by international travel, reflecting a sustained return of cross-border tour- ism after the pandemic. Nights spent by international guests increased by 46.1 million, while nights by domestic tour- ists rose at a slower pace, up by 15.4 million. Overall, tourism demand remained relatively balanced, with international visitors accounting for 49% of all nights and domestic travel- lers for 51%. Malta registered the largest percentage of overnight stays by foreign guests (94.1%) fol- lowed by Cyprus (92.7%), Cro- atia (90.3%) and Luxembourg (88.1%). Domestic visitors only accounted for 732,000 nights of a total of 12.4 million nights spent by tourists in Malta. In terms of accommodation type, hotels and similar estab- lishments continued to domi- nate, accounting for 1.9 billion nights, or 63% of the EU total. Holiday dwellings and oth- er short-stay accommodation recorded 743 million nights (24%), while campsites ac- counted for 413 million nights, representing 13% of all stays across the EU. The estimates are based on available monthly data for 2025 and form part of a wider Eu- rostat analysis of nights spent at tourist accommodation es- tablishments. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 JANUARY 2026 NEWS Malta leads EU tourism growth as overnight stays reach record high Malta stood out among member states, with the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation rising by 10% compared with 2024, the strongest growth recorded anywhere in the EU (file photo) Agriculture Ministry launches damage assessment after Storm Harry hits farmers THE Agriculture Ministry has launched a nationwide process to collect information on dam- age to agricultural production following the severe storm that struck the Maltese Islands over the past two days. In a statement issued on Tues- day, the ministry said farmers are being encouraged to submit geotagged photographs of dam- aged fields and crops through the Biedja Cam platform, together with details of the affected plots and produce. Submissions can be made from Wednesday, 21 January, and must be completed by Friday evening. The information gathered will be used to build a photographic and geographical record of the damage, assess the overall na- tional impact, and guide on-site inspections that are expected to take place over the coming week. According to the ministry, the data will also be used by the government to present a formal report to the European Com- mission, which could lead to the consideration of a financial aid scheme for affected farmers. Farmers were warned that only those who submit their reports through Biedja Cam by the Fri- day deadline will be eligible if a compensation scheme linked to the storm is eventually intro- duced. The ministry urged farmers to act promptly to ensure their losses are recorded and verified within the established time- frame. For assistance, farmers can contact the AgriConnect help- line on 2180 4981, 2180 4982 or 2180 4984. More information on how to use the Biedja Cam reporting system is available on the ARPA website. NICOLE MEILAK nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt A hail storm on Saturday damaged crops (Photo: Mark Brincat/Facebook)