Tourist departures down 4% in January 2012

Tourstat survey data showed that departing tourists in January totaled 62,274, a decrease of 4 per cent when compared to the corresponding month last year. Total nights spent went up by 2 per cent to 511,177.

Departing tourists: January 2012

During the month under review, 52,496 inbound tourist trips were undertaken for holiday purposes, while the number of business trips was estimated at 7,088. Consequently, holidaymakers comprised the absolute majority of inbound tourists, albeit registering a decrease of 5 per cent over 2011.

As in previous months, most inbound tourists came from EU Member States, while non-EU inbound tourists edged up. The main inbound tourism markets continued to be the UK and Italy, jointly accounting for a 47 per cent share of total tourist visits. A notable drop (21 per cent) was registered in the Italian market while other markets remained virtually unchanged.

The number of first-time visitors remained unchanged from January 2011, while repeat tourists registered a drop of 10 per cent over the same period. Meanwhile, non-package travel was slightly higher than package travel, with an estimated 52 per cent of total inbound trips. Nonetheless, inbound tourists opting for package travel advanced by 19 per cent when compared to January 2011.

Total nights spent during the reference month increased by 2 per cent, reaching 511,177 nights.

The majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation, where an increase of 7 per cent was recorded. On the other hand, total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 8 per cent. The average length of stay stood at 8.2 nights, up by 0.5 of a night when compared to January last year. Despite a drop in arrivals, there was an increase in the nights spent due to a longer average stay.

During the reference month, total expenditure was estimated at €49.3 million, up by 1 per cent over 2011 levels. Expenditure on package travel advanced by 24 per cent and stood at €15.5 million, while non-package expenditure decreased marginally, reaching €14.1 million.