Inbound tourism advanced by 9.3 per cent in August when compared to last year, reaching 218,799 arrivals.

The figures released today by the National Statistics Office show that total inbound visitors during August were estimated at 218,799. Excluding the 528 passengers who stayed overnight on board a berthed cruise vessel, 218,271 were departing tourists – an increase of 9 per cent when compared to 2012 levels.

Tourists visiting Malta for holiday purposes rose by 13 per cent to 196,917, while those visiting Malta for business purposes numbered 5,135. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 8 per cent, while Non-EU departing tourists advanced by 18 per cent. Just over a quarter of these tourists came from the UK, while the Italian market came second at 19 per cent. All major tourism markets recorded increases when compared to last year.

Total nights spent during August reached almost 2.2 million, the majority of which were spent in collective accommodation establishments. Nights spent in private accommodation declined by 3 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation establishments went up by 11 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay stood at 9.9 nights, a decline of 0.4 of a night when compared to August last year.

Total expenditure of departing tourists was estimated at €246.2 million, up by 9 per cent over the corresponding month last year.

The total number of tourists who visited Malta during this eight-month period approached the 1.1 million mark. Of these, 1,067,204 were departing tourists, an increase of 9 per cent over the comparable period in 2012.

The main tourism markets remained the UK and Italy, with a notable increase recorded from the Libyan, Austrian and Russian markets. On the other hand, the Spanish market dropped by 14 per cent when compared to last year’s levels.

Non-package travel was slightly higher than package travel, with an estimated 53 per cent of the total. Nonetheless, inbound tourists opting for package travel went up by 6 per cent when compared to 2012. Increases of 8 and 12 per cent were observed in both first-time and repeat tourists respectively.

Total nights spent rose by 9 per cent, surpassing the 8.8 million mark. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation. The average length of stay for this period stood at 8.3 nights, up by 0.1 of a night over 2012.

During the same period, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €986.5 million, up by 9 per cent when compared to 2012. Increases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories. The total per capita expenditure stood at €924 – an increase of 1 per cent when compared to last year.

Photograph – Alain Salvary.

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