Outbound tourism increased by 13.2% over December 2011

The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries in December stood at 30,760, while a further 4,442 trips headed towards non-EU destinations. Trips heading to Italy and the UK remained in the majority, with shares of 27 per cent of total tourist trips.

The largest share of outbound tourists were males (53 per cent). When compared to December 2011, the number of outbound tourist trips carried out by males and females advanced by 16 and 11 per cent respectively. Most outbound tourists fell within the 25-44 age bracket (14,730 or 42 per cent of the total), and were followed by the 45-64 age group (9,490).

Out of 36,952 outbound visitor trips, the number of same-day visitors was estimated at 1,750 - a decrease of 21 per cent when compared to 2011 levels.

Outbound passengers last year totalled 331,311 - an increase of 7 per cent when compared to 2011. An estimated 86 per cent of outbound tourists chose to visit EU destinations, with Italy and the UK ranking as the most popular destinations. Trips to Italy increased by 8 per cent, while those to the UK declined by 2 per cent. In total, both EU and Non-EU trips registered increases, reaching 285,885 and 45,426 respectively.

More than half the total outbound trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 19 per cent were undertaken for business and professional reasons. The average length of stay was highest among outbound tourists visiting relatives and friends, standing at 13 nights. At 74 per cent, non-package travel was significantly higher than package travel.

Further analysis shows that the absolute majority of outbound tourists made use of collective accommodation establishments while abroad. The average length of stay in collective accommodation stood at 5.9 nights, while that recorded for private accommodation stood at 12 nights). Trips to EU and Non-EU destinations had an average length of stay of 6.6 nights and 14.7 nights respectively.

Total outlay by Maltese tourists during 2012 stood at €339.7 million, equivalent to €132.8 per night. Total package expenditure stood at €53.5 million (€101 per night), while that for non-package trips stood at €107.2 million (€52.8 a night).