Tourstat data for August showed a decrease of 1.9 per cent in the number of inbound tourists and a decline of 5.1 per cent in total nights, bringing the average length of stay down by 0.3 of a night.
During the month under review, inbound tourists were estimated at 191,583. There was a decrease of 1.9 per cent in the number of tourists when compared to previous year, albeit a notable increase in those travelling for business purposes. Overall, first-time visitors accounted for 72 per cent of inbound tourists. In line with previous months, 87 per cent of inbound tourists came from EU Member States, and in particular from the euro area. Tourists coming from countries outside the EU increased by 11 per cent. The main markets for inbound tourism remained the UK and Italy, despite a drop in Italian tourists (-18 per cent). On the other hand, the German and British markets experienced increases.
Total nights spent during August were estimated at 1.9 million, down by 5 per cent when compared to last year. Decreases were reported in the number of nights spent in private and in other collective accommodation. The average length of stay was estimated at 10.0 nights, down by 0.3 of a night when compared with 2010. Moreover, the number of tourists choosing short stays of up to 3 nights increased by 17 per cent, while tourists staying for more than 7 nights went down by 4 per cent.
Total tourist expenditure was estimated at nearly €210 million, resulting in a slight increase in comparison with 2010. Decreases were recorded in package and non-package expenditure categories and an increase was registered in other expenditure.
Inbound tourists during the first eight months this year totalled 972,014, an increase of 7 per cent over 2010. In absolute terms, this growth is mostly attributable to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the UK market. On the other hand, decreases were recorded in the Italian, Libyan and Spanish markets. Table 6 shows that 85 per cent of all inbound tourists came from EU Member States.
Increases were recorded in both the number of repeat tourists and in the number of first-time visitors. The majority of tourists opted for non-package travel; yet an increase in package trips was registered.
The largest proportion of inbound passengers were aged between 45 and 64 and were closely followed by those within the 25-44 age bracket. Nonetheless, a significant increase was noted in the number of tourists over 65 years of age. On a gender basis male tourists exceeded females and accounted for 53 per cent of total inbound tourists.
Total nights spent between January and August increased by 4 per cent, reaching nearly 8 million nights. Guest nights in collective accommodation went up by 3 per cent, while nights spent in private accommodation, increased by 6 per cent.
During the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at almost €850 million. This estimate is 9 per cent higher than that for 2010. The growth in package expenditure was contrasted by a reduction in non-package expenditure. At €874, total expenditure per capita for the first eight months increased by 1.6 per cent.