Outbound tourist trips during August amounted to 38,580, an increase of 1.9 per cent over the corresponding month last year, the National Statistics Office said today.

During the month under review, 86 per cent of outbound tourists travelled to EU destinations, with Italy and the UK being the most popular, with shares of 22 and 19 per cent of the total respectively.

Almost all main European markets recorded decreases, with the exception of the British market, which advanced 13 per cent over last year.

The majority of outbound tourists were males. Most outbound tourists fell in the 25-44 age bracket (34 per cent) and were followed by those in the 45-64 age bracket (32 per cent).

Out of 43,100 outbound visitor trips, same-day visitors stood at 4,520.

Outbound tourism throughout the eight-month period of January to August stood at 229,738 – an increase of 10 per cent when compared to the previous year. Nearly 87 per cent of these outbound tourists chose EU destinations.

Both tourist trips towards EU and Non-EU countries increased when compared to last year, reaching 200,421 and 29,317 respectively. Italy and the UK remained the two most popular destinations, and shared between them 54 per cent of the total outbound tourism market.

Almost all European markets exhibited upward shifts, except for the German market, which decreased by 6 per cent when compared to 2012.

At 39 per cent, the largest share of outbound tourists fell within the 25-44 age group, and were followed by the 45-64 age bracket, at 32 per cent. Male tourists stood at 130,660 and were in the majority.

Out of 257,500 outbound visitor trips, same-day visitors were estimated at 27,762.

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