During the peak summer months, many tourists flock to Malta to enjoy a relaxing holiday, however, according to a recent survey, some have left the island feeling disappointed…

According to a survey conducted by the Malta Tourism Authority, over 25% of tourists who visited Malta during the summer season rated the country’s cleanliness as either “poor” or “very poor”.

This data was part of a study led by the MTA’s Research Unit manager, Mariella Attard, released during the Malta National Tourism Conference.

The survey showed that 29.3% of tourists gave a negative rating during the peak summer months. However, cleanliness levels improved during the winter season, with this figure dropping to 13.4%, as reported by the Times of Malta.

Worries about festering trash tend to increase during the hot summer season especially in localities such as St Paul’s Bay and Sliema. In fact, Sliema mayor John Pillow has voiced his concerns on the issue during this past summer.

Interestingly, while more tourists visit the island in the summer, those who come in the autumn tend to be more satisfied with their experience.

Between October and December, 30.6% of those surveyed stated that their expectations were surpassed, while the figure lies at 26% for those who visit in summer.

“This clearly indicates that achieving a more acceptable level of cleanliness is of utmost importance to secure higher levels of tourist satisfaction,” Attard remarked.

Despite cleanliness concerns, Malta’s tourism numbers are on the rise, with the tourism sector set to reach 2.77 million this year.

The survey also highlights differences in opinions among tourists of various nationalities. Visitors from Belgium, the UK, Hungary and Nordic countries, generally had the most pleasant stay in Malta.

Tourists from Spain however, were less than impressed. 14.3% of them described their overall experience in Malta as falling below their expectations.

What do you make of this survey?