Outbound tourism in August up by 18.3% over 2011

The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries was estimated at 32,930, while a further 4,929 trips headed towards Non-EU destinations. Both markets advanced by 18 and 17 per cent respectively. Italy and the UK remained the most popular destinations among residents of Malta and between them accounted for 44 per cent of the total. All European markets recorded increases when compared to last year.

The largest share of outbound tourists were males, at 54 per cent. Male outbound tourists increased by 23 per cent, whereas females advanced by 13 per cent. Most outbound tourists fell within the 45-64 age bracket (13,090 or 35 per cent of the total), and were followed by the 25-44 age group (12,737 or 34 per cent). During the month under review, there were 40,109 outbound visitor trips, of which 2,250 were same-day visitors.

January-August 2012

Outbound tourism throughout this eight-month period stood at 208,859, an increase of 5 per cent when compared to the previous year. The majority, or 86 per cent, travelled towards EU destinations, with Italy and the UK prevailing as the most popular. Trips to Italy went up by 7 per cent, while those to the UK declined by 3 per cent. In total, both EU and Non-EU outbound trips registered increases, reaching 180,416 and 28,443 respectively.

Most outbound tourists fell within the 25-44 age group (40 per cent) and were followed by the 45-64 age bracket (32 per cent). Male tourists stood at 119,636 and were in the majority. Out of 233,082 outbound visitor trips, same-day visitors were estimated at 24,223.