Fewer students came to Malta to learn English last year. Photo: Chris Sant FournierFewer students came to Malta to learn English last year but their stays were longer, according to official figures.
The number of foreign students attending English language courses at specialised schools fell by 8.4 per cent to 74,992 but the total number of weeks they spent here increased by 3.3 per cent to 233,834 when compared to 2012.
The National Statistics Office said the majority of students came from Italy, Russia and Germany – these made up around 47 per cent of total student visits.
The 18-25 age group was the biggest, amounting to more than 21,950 or 29 per cent of the total. Students aged 50 and over were in a minority, adding up to just over 4,000.
July was the busiest month, with 19,829 students, or 26 per cent of the annual total. December was the quietest with under 1,000 visits.
Students spent an average of 3.1 weeks in Malta, with Koreans tending to stay the longest, followed by Libyan and Turkish students.
The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations (Feltom) welcomed the rise in length of stay, saying the figures confirmed the transformation in the sector as the number of mature students coming to Malta “continues to increase”.
This increase, however, was offset by a decline in the junior segment, it added.
The economic adjustments taking place in Italy and Spain continued to affect the sector as both were traditionally important markets, the federation said.
Genevieve Abela, Feltom’s CEO, said the federation and its members were embracing the structural transformation and offering more courses specialised in business, aviation and medicine.
Ms Abela also highlighted the industry’s success in attracting EFL students from new destinations particularly from Asia and the Middle East, opening the doors for new tourism markets for Malta.