Malta's tourism was among the worst hit in the EU in the first two months of this year, according to a Eurostat report on the effects of the downturn on the industry.

The island registered a 13.4 per cent drop in the number of bed nights occupied in tourist establishments compared to the same period last year, the Eurostat report said.

Competing destinations such as Greece and Cyprus fared better with drops of 10.7 per cent and eight per cent respectively.

Spain, on the other hand, saw the number of bed nights taken up by tourists go down by 13.6 per cent.

The EU average stood at -9.1 per cent.

Although no data has been given on Italy, the neighbouring country's tourist industry has also suffered a major blow. Annual figures show that Italy had 3.6 per cent fewer bed nights in 2008 compared to 2007.

Malta's drop in 2008 - a record year for tourism - over 2007 stood at 2.2 per cent while the EU average was of a 1.5 per cent decline. In 2008, Cyprus registered the sharpest drop in bed nights with a decrease of 4.3 per cent over 2007.