Total outbound visitor trips for the third quarter in 2014 were estimated at 144,288, an increase of 6.5 per cent when compared to the same quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said today.

During the quarter under review, there were 133,248 outbound tourist trips, an increase of 8.9 per cent over the same quarter in 2013. Excluding cruise liner passengers, this increase stood at 9.0 per cent.

The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries during this period stood at 117,643, an increase of 11.5 per cent over the same quarter last year. Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 49.6 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 3.9 per cent, reaching 1.07 million nights. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between July and September rose by 4.5 per cent when compared to the same period last year, and stood at €141.0 million, equivalent to an average €1,089 per person.

Total outbound visitor trips for the first nine months of the year numbered 325,861, an increase of 6.4 per cent over 2013 levels. During the period under review, there were 295,155 outbound tourist trips, an increase of 7.6 per cent over the previous year. Excluding cruise liner passengers, this increase stood at 7.9 per cent.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 7.8 per cent, reaching 2.34 million. During the period under review, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €288.9 million. This estimate is 3.8 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2013.

Permalink: Outbound visitors increased by 6.5% in third quarter compared to last year