Slight decrease in outbound trips in September

Estimates show that, compared to September last year, there was an increase of 1 per cent in the number of outbound tourist trips by air, and a decrease of 17 per cent in the number of trips by sea. The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries in September stood at 34,940. Trips towards EU destinations advanced by 5 per cent, whereas the Non-EU market dropped by 30 per cent. Trips to Italy and the UK remained in the majority, with a share of 53 per cent of the total. All major European markets recorded increases when compared to last year.

The majority of outbound tourists were males (56 per cent). When compared to September 2012, outbound tourist trips by males decreased by 5 per cent, whereas those by females went up by 7 per cent. Most outbound tourists fell within the 25-44 age bracket (41 per cent), and were followed by those in the 45-64 age group (30 per cent). During the month under review, there were 43,106 outbound visitor trips, of which 4,160 were same-day visits.

January-September 2013

Outbound tourist trips throughout this nine-month period numbered 268,684, an increase of 8 per cent when compared to last year. Total nights spent amounted to 2.2 million and the average length of stay stood at 8.1 nights. An estimated 88 per cent of outbound tourists chose to visit EU destinations, with Italy and the UK ranking as the most popular.

In total, EU trips registered an increase, reaching 235,361. A slight drop was registered in trips towards Non-EU countries.

Male passengers outnumbered females, reaching 152,527, or 57 per cent of the total.

Same-day visitors between January and September numbered 31,922. More than half the total outbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 17per cent were undertaken for business and professional reasons. Non-package travel was significantly higher than package travel, accounting for 74 per cent of total trips.

The absolute majority of outbound tourists made use of collective accommodation establishments while abroad, with an average length of stay of 6.3 nights. Total estimated expenditure abroad by residents of Malta stood at €276.1 million, equivalent to €127 per night. Package expenditure stood at €48.3 million, while that for non-package trips stood at €83.2 million