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Reports & Resources

The Malta Tourism Observatory is tasked with the production and publication of ad hoc, quarterly  and annual reports .

Reports Such reports will be available for viewing and downloading from this page (please scroll down). ​

Podcasts A series of podcasts and audio-visual presentations will be available for viewing and downloading from here .

In addition, videos , presentations and other resources related to the Malta Tourism Strategy or the Observatory will also be featured below.

Stay tuned.

Malta Tourism Insights 2023  A compendium of articles about different aspects of  the Malta tourism  sector and the activities of the Malta Tourism Authority and the Malta Tourism Observatory. Distributed during the Malta National Tourism Conference 2023.

Local Tourism Performance Reports  Compiled by the MTA Research Unit based on NSO Inbound Tourism Releases.

January  2024

Tourism Statistical Report 2023

December 2023

Novem ber 2023

October 2023

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Tourism Statistical Report 2022

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Segment Reports Compiled by the MTA Research Unit based on NSO Inbound Tourism Releases.

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Malta Tourism Observatory launched

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has announced the launch of the Malta Tourism Observatory.

During a press conference, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority MTA Carlo Micallef stated that "the Observatory shall be the medium through which the delivery and progress of the Malta tourism strategy will take place." Micallef argued that the Observatory "will be a small but very important development in the execution of the rethinking and revitalisation objectives of the national tourism strategy, in the belief that it will contribute, strongly, towards the transition to a more sustainable, quality-driven approach to tourism management and development in the Maltese islands."

Deputy CEO of the MTA Leslie Vella indicated that the Observatory "gives an extensive view ... which is the core concept behind what we are launching today." Vella also remarked that the Observatory will be manned by two persons, directed by a management board.

Minister Bartolo said that this Observatory will work in synergy with stakeholders responsible for the tourism sector. Further, this Observatory can also be called a "watchdog that safeguards the implementation of the Malta tourism strategy ... a strategy of 125 different points," the minister continued.

The Malta Tourism Observatory shall be responsible for a range of activities dealing with the development of tourism in the Maltese Islands. It shall align itself with the work and practices of other established Tourism Observatories worldwide, and shall also be charged with the execution, monitoring, updating, and communicating of progress concerning the Malta Tourism Strategy to 2030.

The Malta Tourism Observatory shall be administered by a "Management Board" consisting of the Chair, the Managing Director, the Members, and the Board Secretary. Also, a number of "Advisory Groups" shall be set up by the Malta Tourism Observatory to focus on specific areas, appointed from relevant Government entities, institutions, organisations, and NGOs.

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New observatory to put Malta ‘at the forefront of sustainable tourism’

Minister Clayton Bartolo said the country needs to update its approach towards the important sector

by BN Writer 

September 29, 2022

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The first Malta Tourism Observatory has been launched to oversee the implementation of Malta’s Tourism Strategy for the next decade.

This board will be composed of representatives of the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Tourism, which will be responsible for the wide range of activities dealing with tourism development in the Maltese Islands.

This was announced by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo in the presence of Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef, Malta Tourism Authority Deputy CEO Leslie Vella, and members of the same board.

The launch of the observatory goes hand in hand with the work and practices of other tourism observatories established around the world, in order to put Malta at the forefront of sustainable tourism on a Mediterranean, European and global scale.

It will be looking to establish links with similar parties internationally, including the United Nations’ main body, the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories.

The Malta Tourism Observatory will also have the option to speak and open itself up to opinions, proposals, and incentives through advisory groups, including Government entities, NGOs, and the private sector.

The themes for these advisory groups will include accommodation, gastronomy, the environment, sustainability, air and maritime connectivity, Gozo and Comino, education and training, visitor experience, and climate change.

Minister Bartolo stressed that in an increasingly competitive tourism market, Malta needs to update its approach towards a sector so important to the country’s economy.

“This observatory is a guarantee of the Government’s commitment to the tourism industry,” he said. “Through the National Tourism Strategy, we see tourism continuing to recover, strengthen and become sustainable for the time to come.”

BN Writer 

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‘40 years in tourism have taught me how versatile Malta and the Maltese are’ – Leslie Vella

The Deputy CEO and Chief Officer Strategic Development for the Malta Tourism Authority charts his impressive career in the sector, as he looks ahead at a promising future.

by Sarah Muscat Azzopardi

20 April 2023

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Leslie Vella, Deputy CEO and Chief Officer Strategic Development for the Malta Tourism Authority, has had a lengthy career within the MTA, joining up 40 years ago as part of the student workers scheme. 

Looking back on his early days, he recalls how, as part of the scheme, “you had to do six months of study and six months of work per year. I was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, quite randomly, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Those early days marked the start of an enduring love affair with the industry, beginning an impressive career trajectory that saw Leslie go from being a junior employee within the Marketing & Research section of what was then known as the National Tourism Organisation of Malta, right up to calling the shots as its CEO.

Tracing that journey, he recalls some of the main landmarks. “I spent three years in London as Deputy Director of our London office between 1988 and 1991, which was a great opportunity at a time before forming part of the EU made moving abroad much easier. Living on my own and mixing with some of the best brains in the industry had a huge impact on my way of thinking and operating,” he begins.  

Subsequently, Leslie also served as Director responsible for corporate services within the new Tourism Authority, which was launched in 1999, responsible for Administration, HR, IT, Finance and Research amongst other things. He was then appointed CEO, between 2001 and 2004. After that, he honed his focus on the research element of the organisation, eventually leading into strategy, which remains his primary focus today, as Chief Officer Strategic Development, while also being responsible for route development to ensure adequate airline connectivity between Malta and its source markets.

Having started at the base of the organisation as a humble student and working his way up, Leslie maintains, “I’ve gained a very horizontal understanding of the organisation, and today I find myself in a privileged position where I can look back on 40 years of trends. That gives you a very particular way of looking at things, understanding, and projecting scenarios for the future. You can look back on the ups and downs and understand the causes, which only comes when you’ve lived it.”

He also expresses his gratitude for the local and international experiences and recognition that have come with this trajectory – listing being sent to London; being made CEO and given other directorship positions; being involved in major decisions in Malta’s tourism development; being linked to the first economic study of tourism on Malta; and launching research tools that are with us to this day, among his highest honours.

Internationally, he highlights his relationships with the world body for tourism, the World Tourism Organisation, and the European Travel Commission – and being elected Chair of its Market Intelligence Group in 1997 – a position he held for 17 years until 2014. “This gave me the opportunity to lead a very powerful team of researchers from across Europe, and helped me establish myself as a respected name, not only for myself, but for the country I represented,” he says.

In that time, things have certainly changed for Malta, its tourism industry, and the authority tasked with promoting and advancing it. When Leslie started out, the organisation was, by his own admission, “tiny”, comprising about 15 people, and the research he was tasked with conducting was of a different sort to the data his team utilise for strategic development today. “Initially, research was mostly focused on reading the past, but slowly, over the years under my direction – and with the help of many people – we built a research unit to convert information to intelligence in order to plan for the future,” he explains. 

As for the landscape itself, 40 years ago, Leslie describes it as a very seasonal industry. “There were lower volumes of tourists in general – in 1984, we had 480,000 tourists in total, mostly arriving during Q3. Second was the predominance of the British market – 80 per cent of our tourists came from the UK,” he explains, noting that the island was mostly sold as a beach destination, thus ignoring major strengths like its unique culture, landscape, traditions, and off-season charms.

Today, things are different. “We have become a year-round destination; we have recognised our possible offers, and this is one of our big pleasures and challenges – to showcase the fact that this small pixel on the map represents so much. The geographical diversification has also changed, as well as our outlook as a people. Today, the positioning of Malta makes us a destination of choice, and when we look at results in recent years, we outperform the market, which signals growth. We have been capable of innovating and remaining ahead, and this is one of the biggest challenges to retain moving forward,” the Deputy CEO affirms.

This is where the National Tourism Strategy 2021-2030 comes in. Discussing the main components of the Government’s vision for tourism development, particularly considering the recovery of the sector from the damage done by COVID-19, Leslie explains that the strategy is based on the triple term of ‘Recover, Rethink, Revitalise’.  

“We have achieved the recovery aspect of this, with 2.3 million tourists recorded last year. However, the strategy also looks at rethinking, with a view to revitalising. As a generation worldwide, we are faced with all these decisions for which action needs to be taken,” he says, emphasising climate change among other global issues, noting, “it is definitely unacceptable to assume that life can go on in the same way, so we are looking at revitalising our tourism through a rethinking process, placing more emphasis on sustainability.” 

Essentially, the strategy talks about maximising tourism returns without playing the volume game; he continues, emphasising a type of tourism that is spread more equitably, not only in numbers terms, but also in terms of equating tourist needs with what the destination offers. 

Meanwhile, last year saw the launch of the Malta Tourism Observatory, with a view toward putting Malta at the forefront of sustainable tourism on a Mediterranean, European and global scale. Sitting squarely in his wheelhouse, Leslie breaks this down. 

“Traditionally, tourism was measured through a very limited number of variables: how many tourists came by month, from which countries they came, how many nights they spent, whether it was their first time, how much money they spent and what accommodation they used. Today, we understand, even within the wider discussion of sustainable tourism, that measuring the tourism phenomenon requires a wider set of observations to understand its impacts and benefits,” he says.

Thus, the concept of tourism observatories was born, with a view to autonomously measure and observe a wider set of variables to understand the tourism phenomenon. “Having an observatory is a sign of maturity on the part of the destination, as it is linked to our development,” Leslie affirms, noting that Malta’s tourism strategy is very ambitious in what it sets out to achieve, and the observatory will be charged with its execution by widening the set of variables to help gauge and plan tourism development backed up by more tools. 

“Eventually, once it develops and starts delivering results, we hope to integrate it with the global family of tourism observatories with a view to having information to share,” he smiles.

Looking ahead, Leslie believes that the challenges moving forward will always be regarding the maximised use of what we have available, rather than using resources as if there is no tomorrow. Despite this, opportunities abound. 

“40 years in tourism have taught me how versatile Malta and the Maltese are. We are capable of reinventing ourselves; we have such depth of material coupled with a very enterprising and innovative way of looking at things that the traditional product life cycle does not seem to apply to us. We are very willing to change and adapt, and this has helped our economy to thrive.”

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Chamber News

The Malta Chamber welcomes news that Ministry for Tourism shall be establishing a Malta Tourism Observatory

The Malta Chamber is pleased to note that a few days following its Tourism Conference titled “Rediscover”, the Ministry of Tourism implemented one of its 125 recommendations proposed in its Tourism Flagship document published in November 2021 titled Rediscove supported by Seed Consultancy.

The Malta Chamber proposed the introduction of a smart and open-source Tourism Observatory which enables the use of big data and advanced business intelligence tools to monitor Malta’s tourism performance, including projections and scenario modelling for planning purposes.

CEO Dr Marthese Portelli stated “The Malta Chamber welcomes the Ministry’s news that it shall be establishing a Malta Tourism Observatory to oversee the implementation of national targets. The priority is ensuring that the recommendations proposed are implemented to ensure that Malta has a better Tourism offering.”

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About The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) was formally set up by the  Malta Travel and Tourism Service Act (1999) . This clearly defines its role - extending it beyond that of international marketing to include a domestic, motivating, directional, co-ordinating and regulatory role. The Act strengthens the public and private partnership in tourism through greater and more direct participation by the private sector in national planning and development of the industry.

Mission and Vision The mission of the Malta Tourism Authority is to advance the economic and social activity of tourism in the national interest, by working with all stakeholders to develop a sustainable industry for current and future generations.

Our vision is to achieve a healthy, sustainable and equitable tourism sector for the Maltese Islands, attracting regular inflows of quality visitors throughout the year from a diverse range of source markets, whilst ensuring that those who choose our destination are served with professionalism and care.

Values The values which drive our vision and mission are those of QUALITY in everything we do, AUTHENTICITY in presenting the true character of our destination, COLLABORATION in partnering with stakeholders local and foreign, and LEADERSHIP in offering guidance and inspiration to those who operate in the tourism sector.

Objectives The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) has a diverse role, but one which in essence is all about creating and fostering relationships. The MTA is the tourism industry's regulator and motivator, its business partner, the country's brand promoter, and is here to form, maintain and manage meaningful partnerships with all tourism stakeholders. Primarily, this means attracting visitors to the Islands, but also working closely alongside the private sector partners. Importantly, the MTA is also here to help strengthen the industry's human resources, ensure the highest standards and quality of the Islands' tourism product, and foster relations with local and international media.

Our Work The Malta Tourism Authority is here:

• To promote and advance Malta as a tourism destination.
• To advise Government on tourism operations and to issue licences under the Act.
• To contribute toward the improvement of the level of human resources in the tourism industry.
• To advise government on the planning and development of the tourism industry as well as on the infrastructure supporting the industry.
• To assist and advise on any tourism-related issues and to undertake activities, events and projects to fulfil our role.

Before MTA MTA replaced its predecessor the National Tourism Organisation of Malta (NTOM) which in turn was preceded by the Malta Government Tourist Board. 

On 27 th September Tourism Authority (MTA), Minister for Tourism, Hon. Clayton Bartolo MP: MTA CEO Carlo Micallef, and MD Malta Tourism Observatory, Leslie Vella, will launch 50 Climate Friendly Travel country programmes in the world’s Least Developed countries (LDCs) aimed at responding to Climate Change. This is a key component of Malta’s commitment to be a global centre of Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) as laid out in its 2030 Tourism Strategy.

These Chapters will be led by scholarship graduates of the  Climate Friendly Travel Diploma  run by SUN x  Malta and The Institute of Tourism Studies, Malta which is supported by MTA and the Ministry of Tourism. They focus on the countries most affected by Climate Change. 

The aim of the Chapters is to build a growing community of like-minded, thoughtful Tourism-focused, climate activists who are networked across the world’s developing countries. These Climate Champions will also encourage companies to join SUN x  Malta’s  CFT Registry   where they can show their Climate Actions Plans.

Please submit your name and email address using the form below to join us for the launch event. 

Register Now

Launch of Climate Friendly Travel

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MEDiverSEAty is a Doctoral Network investigating human dimensions of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity. The efforts made to conserve Mediterranean biodiversity are still facing the need to ensure a comparable implementation of the existing measures. This path could be pursued by integrating the human dimension into the integrated study of biodiversity and the related strategies for conservation, as suggested by MEDiverSEAty. Experts in marine sciences do not neglect the relevance (scientific and social) of these dimensions. Currently, marine citizen sciences, maritime spatial planning, marine heritage, and economic values of marine biodiversity are emphasised. MEDiverSEAty aims to move the international debate forward by transferring this multidimensional vision into actions, policies, and strategies. 

The lack (or oversimplification), both in political and scientific debate, of “diversity” (among cultures, roles, societies, attitudes, identities) as a key driver acting on the relationship among European citizens and marine biodiversity. MEDiverSEAty aims at filling these gaps, through the implementation of a Doctoral Network Training and Research Program involving six European countries (Italy, Malta, France, Spain, Montenegro and Greece) working on two key-pillars of contemporary marine sciences, policies and education within Ocean Literacy and Marine Biodiversity Conservation.

MEDiverSEAty offers Eight Phd positions covering a set of overarching topics:

1. Managing the protection of marine biodiversity through ecosystems services approaches: implication on marine and coastal tourism. A gender perspective . Doctoral Program in Marine Sciences and Technologies and Managements at University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy).

2. Ocean-Archive.org: A Digital Organism for a Living Ocean . Doctoral Program in Anthropology at University of Milano-Bicocca. The candidate will be based at the Fundation TBA21 in Venice (Italy).

3. Marine and terrestrial protected areas to foster climate change adaptation: a sustainable livelihoods approach . Doctoral programme in Islands and Small States Studies, University of Malta.

4. Economics and citizen science: Insights for ecosystem restoration in marine and terrestrial protected areas . Doctoral programme in Islands and Small States Studies, University of Malta.

5. Using artificial reef to preserve biodiversity: potential implications on Marine Literacy and Education . Doctoral program International PhD Studies in Sustainable Development, University of Montenegro.

6. Socio-economic impacts of sea-surface microplastic concentrations along the coastal shelf of Montenegro. Doctoral program International PhD Studies in Sustainable Development, University of Montenegro.

7. Understanding the different dimensions of human-nature connectedness for conservation and restoration management in the Mediterranean . Doctoral programme of Marine Ecology at University of Balearic Islands (Spain).

8. Integrated Coastal Zone Management: mitigation of conflict in the era of global change and the role of local knowledge . Doctoral Programme of the Department of Marine Sciences, Aegean University (Greece).

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The highest observatory on Earth sits atop Chile's Andes Mountains — and it's finally open

"The better astronomical observations of the real thing can be, the more accurately we can reproduce what we see with our experiments on Earth."

A new telescope billed as the world's highest astronomical site is officially open for business.

The Japanese University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, or TAO, which was first conceptualized 26 years ago to study the evolution of galaxies and exoplanets , is perched on top of a tall mountain in the Chilean Andes at 5,640 meters (18,500 feet) above sea level. The facility's altitude surpasses even the Atacama Large Millimeter Array , which is at an elevation of 5,050 meters (16,570 feet). 

TAO is located on the summit of Atacama's Cerro Chajnantor mountain, whose name means "place of departure" in the now-extinct Kunza language of the indigenous Likan Antai community. The region's high altitude, sparse atmosphere and perennially arid climate is deadly to humans, but makes an excellent spot for infrared telescopes like TAO as their observational accuracies rely on low moisture levels, which render Earth's atmosphere transparent in infrared wavelengths.

Related: See the Milky Way sparkle with two telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert in this stunning photo

Constructing the telescope on the summit of Mt. Chajnantor "was an incredible challenge, not just technically, but politically too," Yuzuru Yoshii, a professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan who spearheaded TAO since 1998, said in a statement . "I have liaised with Indigenous peoples to ensure their rights and views are considered, the Chilean government to secure permission, local universities for technical collaboration, and even the Chilean Health Ministry to make sure people can work at that altitude in a safe manner."

"Thanks to all involved, research I've only ever dreamed about can soon become a reality, and I couldn't be happier," he added.

TAO's 6.5-meter telescope consists of two science instruments designed to observe the universe in infrared, which is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves. 

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One of the instruments, named SWIMS , will image galaxies from the very early universe to understand how they coalesced out of pristine dust and gas, a process whose specifics remain murky despite decades of research. 

The second, named MIMIZUKU, will aid the overarching science goal by studying primordial disks of dust within which stars and galaxies are known to form, according to the mission plan .

"The better astronomical observations of the real thing can be, the more accurately we can reproduce what we see with our experiments on Earth," Riko Senoo, a graduate student at the University of Tokyo and a TAO researcher, said in the statement. "I hope the next generation of astronomers use TAO and other ground-based and space–based telescopes to make unexpected discoveries that challenge our current understanding and explain the unexplained," added Masahiro Konishi, a research associate at the University of Tokyo.

Before the newly opened telescope was built, Yoshii and his colleagues also assembled and operated a 1-meter telescope on the mountaintop in 2009. Dubbed miniTAO, the tiny telescope imaged the center of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. Two years later, miniTAO received the Guinness World Record for the highest astronomical observatory on Earth.

 —  The Milky Way lights up the 'Valley of the moon' in magical new night sky photo

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— See the world's largest telescope come together beneath the Milky Way (video)

Although the observatory was being discussed for the past 26 years, on-site work began only in 2006 when the first access road to Mt. Chajnantor's summit was paved and a weather monitor installed soon after. 

Prior to construction of the telescope, astronomers and members of the local community, which considers Mt. Chajnantor sacred, purified the construction site and held a "ground-breaking ceremony for the purpose of praising God's forgiveness, safety of the construction and success of the project," according to a previous news release by the project team.   

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X @skuthunur.

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• billslugg A well run campaign to site the telescope. They went in early, met with the locals/indigenous peoples, got all their needs met. Everything else fell into place. It's called "laying a good foundation". Reply
• Helio This looks like a JWST, Jr. on Earth, is it not? Reply

Helio said: This looks like a JWST, Jr. on Earth, is it not?

MikeMc said: Well I don’t know what it looks like but both telescopes have a 6.5 m primary mirror. I guess Jr. in the sense that JWST is much higher up, so it can see further back in time due to less interference.

• View All 4 Comments

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