Inbound tourists in February 2009 were estimated at 51,244, a decrease of 10.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2008. During the same period, total nights spent increased by 2.9 per cent.

February 2009

The Tourstat survey indicates that tourist departures in February were estimated at 51,244, a decrease of 10.6 per cent over February 2008. The majority, or 51,099, of tourists, came to Malta by air. Results also show that 78.4 per cent of inbound tourists came to Malta on holiday, while a further 15.1 per cent visited the island for business purposes.

Meanwhile, total nights spent increased by 2.9 per cent over the comparative month in 2008. More specifically, total nights spent in private accommodation increased by 4.5 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation increased by 2.5 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay is calculated at 9.4 nights, up by 1.3 nights when compared to February 2008.

January-February 2009

Inbound tourists for the past two months are estimated at 102,886, implying a decrease of 15.1 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. In absolute terms, the change is mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, German and Spanish markets. On the other hand an increase was recorded in the Italian market.

Table 6 shows that 85.9 per cent of all inbound visits comprised tourists coming from EU Member States. For the period under review, the majority of inbound tourists chose non-package travel, while the demand for package trips decreased by 22.1 per cent. The largest proportion of inbound passengers were aged between 45 and 64, followed by those in the 25-44 age bracket. Together these two categories made up 75.4 per cent of total tourists.

During the same period, total nights spent decreased by 1.0 per cent when compared to the first two months of 2008. Nights spent in private accommodation increased by 3.9 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation decreased by 2.7 per cent. With regard to hotel accommodation, guest nights in the 5- and 3-star categories increased respectively by 12.9 and 35.2 per cent, while the 4-star category registered a drop of 6.8 per cent. The average length of stay is calculated at 9.4 nights, an increase of 1.4 nights over 2008.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at €68.5 million, resulting in a decrease of 14.6 per cent when compared to the 2008 level. Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

The survey results indicate that the per capita total expenditure is estimated at €680, an increase of 1.2 per cent over the period January-February 2008.

Permalink: Inbound tourists down by 10.6% in February