Outbound tourism in May up by 12.4%

Outbound trips towards EU destinations accounted for 88 per cent of the total and numbered 18,620. A further 2,423 trips headed towards Non-EU destinations. Trips towards EU countries advanced by 16 per cent, while those towards Non-EU destinations edged down. Italy and the UK remained the most popular outbound destinations and comprised nearly two-thirds of the total EU tourist trips. There were slight drops in the number of trips to Germany and France.

The majority of outbound tourists during May were males (62 per cent). The largest share of tourists (43 per cent) fell in the 25-44 age bracket. The latter were followed by those aged 45-64, numbering 7,189, or 34 per cent of the total.

January-May 2011

The number of outbound tourists during the period under review was estimated at 106,572, an increase of 15 per cent over the corresponding period last year. The most visited countries were the UK and Italy, which together account for 67 per cent of total EU trips. Trips to Non-EU destinations dropped by 12 per cent and were estimated at 12,479.

Male outbound passengers exceeded females, accounting for 58 per cent of the total. Trips were mostly carried out by those in the 25-44 age bracket (44,937, or 42 per cent of the total). These were followed by tourists aged 45-64. Moreover, tourists aged under 25 advanced by 21 per cent over 2010. Out of a total of 118,959 outbound visitors, the number of same-day visitors for the period was estimated at 12,387 