Valletta is the locality least impacted by the seasonal change in tourist arrivals, new data reveals.

While all of Malta is subject to the ebbs and flows of seasonality, the number of tourists staying in the capital registered the lowest decrease of any locality in the country.

During the peak tourism month of August, Valletta had 82 tourists for every 100 residents, second only to St Julian’s, which had 126.4 tourists per 100 residents.

However, in December, a low tourism month, Valletta still registered 49.5 tourists for every 100 residents – the most of any city, town or village in Malta – with St Julian’s in second place at 41.6 tourists per 100 residents.

The ratio of ‘tourism intensity’ is defined as the ratio of nights spent at all forms of tourist accommodation per 100 residents per day.

Valletta’s growing popularity as a place for tourists to stay, not just visit, is also reflected in the full-year increase in tourism intensity, which rose from 53.5 to 69.4 – the largest increase of any locality in Malta.

With more hotels, guesthouses and short-let accommodation capitalising on the Maltese capital’s revival in recent years, the upward trend is expected to continue.

Read the full report on the seasonal and geographic differences in tourism intensity in Malta here.