Government toasts third record month in tourism arrivals

Tourstat survey data show that 87 per cent of inbound tourists came to Malta for holiday purposes, while a further 9,119 were business tourists.

Total nights spent stood at 1.2 million with an average length of stay of eight nights.

Holidaymakers comprised the absolute majority of inbound tourists, and registered an increase of 6 per cent. The number of inbound tourists coming from EU Member States went up by 5 per cent - this category represented the absolute majority of the tourism market, with a share equivalent to 86 per cent of total inbound tourism.

Tourists from outside the EU increased over last year, reaching 21,157.

The UK and Italy remained the main tourism markets, with shares of 32 and 11 per cent of total tourism respectively. When compared to last year, the British market registered an increase of 7 per cent, while tourists from Germany and Italy declined by 7 and 8 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, total nights spent during June reached 1.2 million, the majority of which were spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Nights spent in private accommodation rose by 23 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation advanced by 9 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay stood at 8.0 nights, up by 0.4 of a night when compared to June last year.

The tourism ministry said the latest results were the fruit of collaboration between government and private stakeholders that had improved accessibility with an increased number of routes pouring into Malta.

"Routes into Malta increased from 45 in 2006 to 81 this year, thanks to the promotion by the Malta Tourism Authority in new markets. These good results reflect the improvement in our product thanks to new infrastructural projects and restoration work."

During the same month, total expenditure was estimated at €128.6 million - a growth of 13 per cent over last year. Expenditure on package travel advanced by 25 per cent, and non-package expenditures remained almost unchanged. In contrast, tourist expenditure other than travel and accommodation went up by 12 per cent.

January-June 2012

Inbound tourists by mid-year reached 607,141, a decrease of 2 per cent over the comparable period last year. Table 6 shows that 86 per cent of all inbound visitors comprised tourists coming from EU Member States, albeit a drop of 1 per cent. There were decreases of 1 and 6 per cent in the EU and Non-EU markets respectively.

In the first half of 2012, the majority of inbound tourists opted for non-package travel, although an increase in package trips was registered. Decreases were observed in both first-time and repeat tourists, equivalent to 1 and 4 per cent respectively. On a gender basis, male tourists exceeded females, accounting for 52 per cent of the total.

Between January and June, total nights spent rose by 4 per cent, surpassing the 4.6 million mark. Nights spent in collective and private accommodation establishments went up by 2 and 8 per cent respectively. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in hotel accommodation. The average length of stay for this period stood at 7.7 nights, up by 0.4 of a night over 2011.

During the same period, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €485 million, up by 3 per cent when compared to 2011. The survey indicated that the per capita total expenditure was estimated at €798, an increase of 5 per cent when compared to 2011 levels.