Malta had 5.3 visitors per inhabitant last year, a survey has found, making it the world's second most popular country for tourism per capita.

The figure emerged from a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) which was featured in an online magazine.

Iceland was the most visited country with 6,600 visitors per 1,000 citizens. The Bahamas in the Caribbean came in third with 3,800 visitors.

At the other end of the spectrum Somalia, Yemen and Libya came out as the least visited counties, with less than one visitor per 1,000 citizens.

Hoteliers have long sounded warnings of overtourism, with Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Tony Zahra insisting we should focus on "sustainable tourism".

Hoteliers are calling for a study to establish the maximum number of tourists that Malta can cope with due to its limited geographical size and high population density.

Heritage and Culture expert George Cassar also warned that host communities could become hostile when faced with such rampant mass tourism.

"Mdina has reached a critical point. We are going to lose its heritage and lose cultural assets that are valuable to the Maltese community," Prof. Cassar had told The Sunday Times of Malta.