ROCS profile

The Maltese Islands

A background

The Maltese Archipelago consists of Malta, Gozo and Comino with the capital Valletta declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. The population of these islands is approximately 450,000 with over 170,000 households. Over the past years the Maltese economy has experienced positive growth leading to an overall improvement in the population’s already high standard of living. The economy has also passed through a period of restructuring and with Malta’s accession to the European Union on the 1st of May 2004, this positive trend is not only expected to bemaintained but also improved.

Thearchipelagopresentsoneof themost charmingdestinations in theMediterranean, andoffersauniqueholidayexperiencewhether one is seeking adventure, relaxation or a cultural destination.

Froma vivid past... to a dynamic future

AlthoughMalta is a relatively small nation state it has a large tourist industrywith tourist arrivals reaching 2,800,000 annually.

Duringthepast years,Maltahas seenasubstantial increase invarious industrial sectorsparticularly in the ICTsegment. Gaininga reputation as a centre for quality, it is rapidly growing and in a very short time Malta has established itself as one of the leaders in this field attracting some of the largest global organisations such as Microsoft, HP and Cisco to name a few. Also, the multi-billion dollar investment of a renownedDubai investment consortiumtodevelopSmartCityMaltamakes the islandan important strategic hub for ICT in the region. The heavy investment in this sector will continue to expand in the coming years.