Inbound tourism in August up by 3.4% from last year

According to figures compiled by the National Statistics Office, the total inbound visitors for August were estimated at a record high 256,782, marking a 3.4% increase when compared to the corresponding month of 2015.

A total of 228,428 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 7,295 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 2.1% to 220,149 when compared to the corresponding month of 2015.

The majority of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 0-24 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 0.7% when compared to August 2015, amounting to 2,375,917 nights. The largest share of guest nights (50.9%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €270.9 million, a decrease of 1.9% over the corresponding month of 2015.

The United Kingdom registered the largest absolute increase of 21,509 more tourists compared to same period last year, followed by Italy with 12,923 more tourists, the Malta Tourism Authority said, adding that significant growth in the number of inbound tourists was also recorded from Germany, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Netherlands and USA.

Inbound tourist trips from January to August of this year amounted to 1,308,519, an increase of 8.3% over the same period in 2015. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.7%, almost 10.2 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1,156.9 million, 3.6% higher than that recorded for 2015. Total expenditure per capita stood at €884, a decrease of 4.4% when compared to 2015.