Tourism Intensity
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Concepts and Definitions
1.1.1 Tourism Intensity
Tourism intensity is a key indicator that measures the presence of tourists relative to the resident population. It combines two figures: the number of nights spent by tourists and the local population. By definition, tourism intensity is the number of tourist nights in all forms of accommodation (both rented and non-rented) per 100 residents per day. This indicator can be computed for a specified period (such as month, quarter, or year) and for a specified area (such as locality, district, or region).
To compare the inbound tourist population to the local population, it is essential to consider the daily average presence of tourists and residents within a specific time-period and area. This daily average is calculated by dividing the number of tourist nights by the number of days in the period under consideration. Additionally, to account for outbound tourists, this daily average for outbound tourists is also calculated and subtracted from that of inbound tourists. Consider the following as an example:
Period under consideration = January = 31 days
Locality A population = 5,000 residents
Inbound tourist nights spent in locality A in January = 3,500 nights
Outbound tourist nights spent away by residents of locality A in January = 1,200 nights
Inbound tourist daily average population = 3,500 nights / 31 days = 112.9 tourists per day
Outbound tourist daily average population = 1,200 nights / 31 days = 38.7 tourists per day
Tourist daily average population = 112.9 – 38.7 = 74.2 tourists per day
Tourism intensity = 74.2 tourists per day x 100 / 5,000 residents = 1.5
From the example, the tourism intensity result indicates that there are 1.5 tourists for every 100 residents in locality A in January.
After having established the definition of tourist daily average population as the tourist population for the reference period and area, summing it with the resident population yields the effective population.
Tourism intensity is proportional to the tourist population and inversely proportional to the resident population. There are various scenarios that can increase, decrease, or not affect tourism intensity as presented in the below table; cases where there are no changes and when increases/decreases occur with the same factors are omitted due to their unlikelihood of occurring.
| Resident Population | Tourist Population | Tourism Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Increase (by larger factor) | Increase (by smaller factor) | Decrease |
| Increase (by smaller factor) | Increase (by larger factor) | Increase |
| Increase | Decrease | Decrease |
| Decrease | Increase | Increase |
| Decrease (by larger factor) | Decrease (by smaller factor) | Increase |
| Decrease (by smaller factor) | Decrease (by larger factor) | Decrease |
It is crucial to highlight that tourism intensity should not be considered in isolation, as different scenarios can lead to incorrect interpretations of changes in tourism intensity. For instance, if the resident population increases at a faster rate than the tourist population, the tourism intensity will decrease. However, since both populations increase, the effective population will also rise. Therefore, tourism intensity should always be considered alongside actual population figures, as it measures the ratio of the tourist population to the resident population and does not directly indicate absolute population amounts.
1.1.2 Tourism Density
Tourism density is another key indicator which measures the presence of tourists relative to the area under consideration. By definition, tourism density is the number of tourist nights in all forms of accommodation (both rented and non-rented) per square kilometre per day. This indicator can be computed for a specified period (such as month, quarter, or year) and for a specified area (such as locality, district, or region).
Here we again consider the daily average presence of inbound tourists within a specific time-period and area while also accounting for outbound tourists (as described in Section 1.1.1). Consider the following as an example:
Period under consideration = January = 31 days
Locality A area = 13 square kilometres
Inbound tourist nights spent in locality A in January = 3,500 nights
Outbound tourist nights spent away by residents of locality A in January = 1,200 nights
Inbound tourist daily average population = 3,500 nights / 31 days = 112.9 tourists per day
Outbound tourist daily average population = 1,200 nights / 31 days = 38.7 tourists per day
Tourist daily average population = 112.9 – 38.7 = 74.2 tourists per day
Tourism density = 74.2 tourists per day / 13 square kilometres = 5.7 tourists per square kilometre
From the example, the tourism density result indicates that there are 5.7 tourists for every one square kilometre of area in locality A in January.
1.2 Results overview
This statistical insight presents data on tourism intensity, tourism density, tourist population, mid-year population, and effective population at the country, district, and locality levels. For localities, the top six tourist localities in 2023 are considered. Breakdowns by year, quarter, and month of the tourism intensity, tourist population, and effective population are presented at the country level in Table 1. Further breakdowns at the district and locality levels are presented in Tables 2 and 3, and Tables 4 and 5, respectively. These tables report both population and population density figures, including tourism intensity. A focus on August, the peak tourism month, is made in Tables 6 and 7, where population and population density figures, including tourism intensity, are detailed. The years 2016 to 2023 are all covered in Tables 1 to 7. Finally, Table 8 focuses on the year 2023, comparing locality-level figures between the lowest (December) and highest tourism (August) intensity months.
2.0 Effective Population
The effective population of a country includes both the resident population and the temporary, or short-term population, such as tourists. This concept helps to understand the total number of people present in a country at any given time, accounting for both permanent residents and temporary visitors.
In 2023, a mid-year population of 552,734 was registered, with an additional 40,012 tourists estimated to be present. This brings up the effective population of 2023 to 592,746. Consequently, 6.8 per cent of Malta’s effective population comprised tourists. For the purpose of the analyses presented, the mid-year population is being kept constant throughout the year.
The mid-year resident population at country level increased year-to-year from 2016 to 2023, with an overall growth of 21.8 per cent. The tourist population also saw a year-to-year increase, except for the COVID-19 year of 2020, resulting in an overall increase of 27.6 per cent from 2016 to 2023. In absolute terms, between 2016 and 2023, the effective population increased by 107,506 (22.2 per cent), of which 8,651 (1.8 per cent) was associated with the tourist population.
Chart 1. Effective population by year
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On the district level the effective population is highest in the Northern Harbour district, followed by the Northern district. The highest proportion of tourists for 2023, however, is found in the Northern district (11.7 per cent), followed closely by the Northern Harbour district (10.9 per cent). Between 2016 and 2023 the effective population rankings remained the same.
Chart 2. Population by district: 2023
On a monthly basis, the effective population fluctuates due to the seasonality of tourism. In the lowest tourism month (December), the effective population stood at 562,591 (9,857 tourists), while in the peak tourism month (August), it stood at 628,058 (75,324 tourists). This is a difference in population of 65,467 between the highest and lowest figures for the effective population.
Chart 3. Population by month
Reference year: 2023
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Chart 4. Top 6 tourism localities
Effective population as at August 2023
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3.0 Tourism Intensity
3.1 Summary
As a direct consequence of the increases in both mid-year resident population and tourist population from 2016 to 2023, tourism intensity rose from 6.9 in 2016 to 7.2 in 2023, indicating more tourists per 100 residents.
Chart 5: Tourism intensity by year
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At the district level, the Northern and the Northern Harbour districts had the highest tourism intensities. The difference between the two districts’ tourism intensities has however diminished from 2016 to 2023. This change is due to two main factors: the Northern district experienced a larger increase in the resident population (36.3 per cent) compared to the Northern Harbour district (29.0 per cent), and the Northern Harbour district saw a significant increase in the tourist population (44.3 per cent) compared to a decrease in the Northern district (-2.6 per cent). Year-to-year, the Northern district’s tourist population growth was not as strong as that of the Northern Harbour district, while the resident population growth in the Northern district was generally stronger.
Map 1: Effective Population by District - 2023
At the locality level, during the peak month of August, San Ġiljan had the highest tourism intensity, reaching 128.8 in 2023. This indicates that the tourist population exceeded the resident population in San Ġiljan during the peak month. Despite a decrease in tourism intensity since 2016, San Ġiljan’s effective population increased by 6,228 (25.2 per cent), of which 2,352 (9.5 per cent) attributed to tourism.
San Pawl Il-Baħar also experienced a decrease in tourism intensity from 2016 to 2023. This was primarily due to a 63.4 per cent increase in the resident population, from 21,943 in 2016 to 35,865 in 2023, and a slight decrease of 3.5 per cent in the tourist population. These changes led to a drastic reduction in tourism intensity, despite effective population increase of 13,346 persons.
Valletta showed a different trend in August. The resident population saw a slight decline of 2.2 per cent from 2016 to 2023, while the tourist population increased rapidly by 175.0 per cent. These opposing trends resulted in a higher tourism intensity for Valletta, with the effective population increasing by 2,440 (35.7 per cent) from 2016 to 2023. This change was driven by a 2,560 (37.5 per cent) increase due to tourism, partially offset by a decline of 120 (-1.8 per cent) in resident contributions.
Map 2: Tourism intensity top six localities - Aug 2023
Map 3: Effective population top six localities - Aug 2023
Chart 6: August population by year in top 6 tourism localities
3.2 In-depth analysis
3.2.1 Annual trends
3.2.1.1 Country level
Between 2016 and 2018, tourism intensity increased, peaking and plateauing at 8.0 for 2018-2019, before plummeting to 1.9 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery began slowly in 2021, not reaching pre-COVID-19 levels, but increased at a higher rate than in the previous years. The highest increase in intensity occurred between 2021 and 2022, reaching 6.4. By 2023, tourism intensity reached a value of 7.2. Notably, 2023 tourism intensity has failed to reach and surpass pre-COVID-19 levels due to a significant increase in the resident population registered in 2023 (21,564 persons) (Table 1).
3.2.1.2 District level
In general, the Northern district has the highest tourism intensity, followed by the Northern Harbour district. The district with the lowest tourism intensity overall was the Western district, which had a negative intensity for the years 2016-2023. In 2021, the tourism intensity in the Northern Harbour district was higher than in the Northern district and equal in 2022. In 2023, the Northern district and the Northern Harbour district had tourism intensities of 13.2 and 12.2, respectively. The third highest tourism intensity, almost a third of that of the Northern Harbour district, was 4.3, shared by the Southern Harbour district and the Gozo and Comino district (Table 2).
3.2.1.3 Locality
Between 2016 and 2023, San Ġiljan remained consistently the locality with the highest tourism intensity when considering the top six localities, being at its highest (88.8) in 2017, and stood at 72.0 in 2023. Despite the lower tourism intensity in 2023 as compared to 2016, there were more tourists in 2023. The lower tourism intensity can be explained by the resident population having a faster growth rate than the tourism population; from 2016 to 2023, the resident population increased by 40.2 per cent, while that of the inbound tourists increased by 28.5 per cent (Table 4).
The second highest tourism intensity belonged to Il-Mellieħa before 2021 and to Valletta from 2021 onwards. The third highest tourism intensity belonged to San Pawl Il-Baħar up to 2017, to Valletta in 2018-2020, and to Il-Mellieħa from 2021 to 2023 (Table 4).
Looking at the absolute values of the effective population of each locality, the peak for all localities was the year 2023. The lowest effective population for San Pawl Il-Baħar and Il-Gżira occurred in 2016, while for San Ġiljan, Tas-Sliema, Il-Mellieħa, and Valletta it was in 2020 (the COVID-19 year). This highlights that the latter group, with minimum effective population in the COVID-19 year, are highly impacted by the presence of tourists (Table 4).
In 2023, the highest tourism intensity, 72.0 in San Ġiljan, is followed by Valletta at 53.3, a drop of 18.7. From the top six, the locality with the lowest intensity was Il-Gżira at 24.1 (Table 4).
Chart 7. Top six tourism localities
Reference year: 2023
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3.2.2 Monthly trends
3.2.2.1 Country
The month with the highest tourism intensity is August, reaching 13.6 in 2023, and peaking in 2019 at 15.1. Conversely, the lowest tourism intensity most frequently belongs to December, reaching 1.8 in 2023 and having its lowest value of 0.2 in 2020 (Table 1).
3.2.2.2 Locality
Peak tourism month - August
Between 2016 and 2023, San Ġiljan remained consistently the locality with the highest tourism intensity, being at its highest (156.2) in 2016, and stood at 128.8 in 2023. Despite the lower tourism intensity in 2023 as compared to 2016, there were more tourists in 2023 (Table 6). The lower tourism intensity can be explained by the resident population having a faster growth rate than the inbound tourism population; from 2016 to 2023, the resident population increased by 40.2 per cent, while that of the inbound tourists increased by 15.6 per cent. The second highest tourism intensity belonged to Il-Mellieħa before 2021 and to Valletta from 2021 onwards (Table 6).
Looking at the absolute values of the effective population of each locality, the peak for all localities was the year 2023. The lowest effective population for San Ġiljan, San Pawl Il-Baħar, Tas-Sliema, Il-Mellieħa and Valletta occurred in 2020 (the COVID-19 year), and that for Il-Gżira was in 2016. This highlights that the localities in the former group, with minimum effective population in the COVID-19 year, are highly impacted by the presence of tourists (Table 6).
In 2023, from the top six localities, the highest tourism intensity (128.8) was recorded in San Ġiljan, followed by Valletta at 76.6, a drop of 52.2. The locality with the lowest tourism intensity was Il-Gżira with an intensity of 39.8 (Table 6).
Lowest (December) and highest (August) tourism intensity month - 2023
On the country level in 2023, the month with the highest tourism intensity was August (13.6) and lowest tourism intensity occurred in December (1.8), a difference of 11.8. This translates to a difference of 664.2 per cent (65,467 tourists) in the tourist population between the lowest to the highest intensity month (Table 8).
On the locality level, for the top six localities, the largest change in tourism intensity occurs in San Ġiljan (87.7 increase), followed by Il-Mellieħa (49.9 increase) and Tas-Sliema (41.6 increase). The smallest increase belongs to Il-Gżira (27.6 increase). The tourist population saw the largest absolute increases in San Ġiljan (11,858 tourists), San Pawl Il-Baħar (11,620 tourists), and Tas-Sliema (8,934 toursits). On the other hand, the largest increases percentage-wise were found in Il-Mellieħa (295.1 per cent), San Pawl Il-Baħar (288.2 per cent), and Tas-Sliema (256.9 per cent) (Table 8).
4.0 Tourism Density
4.1 Annual trends
4.1.1 Country Level
Between 2016 and 2019 tourism density increased, peaking at 128 persons per square kilometre, before decreasing to 31 persons per square kilometre in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, tourism density reached 127 persons per square kilometre, almost reaching the pre-COVID-19 value. The effective population density for 2023 was of 1,882 persons per square kilometre, which implies that for every square kilometre, there were 1,755 residents and 127 tourists (Table 3).
4.1.2 District Level
From 2016 to 2023, the Northern Harbour district consistently had the highest density for both resident population and effective population, followed by the Southern Harbour and South Eastern districts (Table 3).
Chart 8. Population density (per km2)
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4.2 Monthly trends
4.2.1 Peak tourism month - August
In 2023, of the top six localities, the highest tourism density can be found in San Ġiljan (10,825 per km2), followed by Tas-Sliema (9,577 per km2). The third highest, Il-Gżira, drops 4,689 per km2 below Sliema to a figure of 4,889 per km2. The lowest density from the top six belongs to Il-Mellieħa, at 409 per km2 (Table 7). The localities with the highest resident population densities from those under consideration, were Tas-Sliema (16,563 per km2), Il-Gżira (12,285 per km2), and San Ġiljan (8,402 per km2). This ranking changes as one considers the presence of tourists in the peak month: Tas-Sliema (26,140 per km2), San Ġiljan (19,227 per km2), and Il-Gżira (17,174 per km2) (Table 7).
In general, from 2016 to 2023, Tas-Sliema always occupied the position of highest density for both resident population and effective population. The second highest density was always Il-Gżira for the resident population density, but for the effective population density, this has been the case only in 2020, with San Ġiljan in the rest of the years (Table 7).
Tourism intensity is often listed as one of the key sustainable tourism indicators, as it measures the presence of tourists relative to the resident population. For the case of Malta, this indicator is a useful tool to identify the effective population components, but more specifically to identify how this population make-up changes when looking at the peak tourism month and top tourism localities. This can highlight the heightened resident-tourist cohabitation stresses of touristy areas in peak tourism months.
Apart from this, the calculation of the absolute tourist population is a by-product of the calculation of tourism intensity. This information is then also useful to analyse the total effective population and the related stresses these bring to specific areas.
All Tables
Table 1. Country-level Tourism Intensity
Table 2. District-level population – Annual
Table 3. District-level population density – Annual
Table 4. Locality-level population – Annual
Table 5. Locality-level population density – Annual
Table 6. Locality-level population – August
Table 7. Locality-level population density – August
Table 8. Locality-level lowest and highest tourism intensity month
Methodological Notes
- Data Sources:
● TOURSTAT Survey: Inbound and Outbound tourist nights data by date of departure.
● National Tourism Survey: Outbound tourist locality of residence information by month of departure.
● Mid-year population estimates.
2. Variable Definitions:
● Time period (t): Number of days in the given time period under consideration. E.g. If the month August is being analysed, t = 31
● Area (A): The area in the locality/district/region under review
● Mid-year population (P mid): The average of the beginning and end-year estimation of the number of residents in the locality/district/region under review.
● Tourist nights (tourn): Number of tourist nights in a given time period (t) and in the locality/district/region under review.
● Tourist nights per day (tournpd): the effective number of tourists per day over a given time period (t) and in the locality/district/region under review. This figure takes into account outbound tourism. This figure is also referred to as the tourist population.
● Tourism intensity (Ti): The number of tourist nights in all forms of accommodation (rented and non-rented) per 100 residents per day, in a given time period (t) and in the locality/district/region under review. The superscript inbound and outbound distinguishing between the two tourism populations.
● Tourism density (Td): The number of tourist nights in all forms of accommodation (rented and non-rented) per day per km2, in a given time period (t) and in the locality/district/region under review.
● Effective population (Peff): The mid-year population plus the tourist nights per day in a given time period (t) and in the locality/district/region under review.
3. Equations:
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
4. Conceptual Definitions:
● Locality of longest stay:
a. The locality of longest stay, as collected by the TOURSTAT survey, is being used as the reference locality.
b. The locality of longest stay is the locality in which the tourists have spent most of their nights while in MALTA. This implies that nights from other localities will be included under a different locality for the cases where tourists spend nights in more than one locality.
E.g. An inbound tourist spends a total of 10 nights in MALTA: 8 in St. Julians and 2 in Valletta. The locality of longest stay is St. Julians, and all 10 nights are attributed to this locality.
c. In a few cases, there is no primary locality indicated, for example someone staying in a different locality every night. All inbound tourist nights were used in the compilation of country-level data. For further location disaggregation, those surveys stating no primary locality were excluded.
5. Outbound tourist correction: As there is an outflow of outbound tourists caused by Maltese residents concurrent to the inflow of inbound tourists, a correction to the figures is being made by taking this into account. This is done by obtaining the harmonised distribution of outbound tourists by locality and district at the appropriate time resolution (month, quarter, year) from National Tourism Survey (NTS). This distribution is then applied to outbound tourist nights data from TOURSTAT. The correction is then being affected in equation (1), where the subtraction of the relevant outbound tourist nights removes the effects of outgoing tourists. Note that the distribution obtained from NTS is based on the 15+ population since this is the extent of the survey’s coverage, so some small discrepancy may exist.
6. In view of the COVID-19 situation, the Tourstat survey was suspended between 12 March and 30 June 2020. Statistical methods were applied to cover the period from 13 March to 20 March 2020, when scheduled passenger flights were still in operation.
7. The areas used for the calculation of Tourism density (T d ) are tabulated below in km 2 .
| Malta |
|---|
| 315.0 |
| Southern Harbour | Northern Harbour | South Eastern | Western | Northern | Gozo and Comino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.2 | 24.0 | 50.1 | 72.4 | 73.6 | 68.7 |
| San Ġiljan | San Pawl il-Baħar | Sliema | Mellieħa | Gżira | Valletta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 | 14.5 | 1.3 | 22.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
8. References to this statistical insight are to be cited appropriately.
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