UK and Italy top Malta’s inbound tourists

Total inbound visitors during March were estimated at 91,172. Excluding the 1,886 passengers who stayed overnight on board a berthed cruise vessel, 89,286 were departing tourists marking an increase of 11.4%.

According to the National Statistics Office, this increase is in part attributable to just under 5,000 persons residing abroad, primarily Maltese nationals, who visited the islands in connection with the national elections held in March.

Tourstat estimates show that the absolute majority of departing tourists, or 66,547, visited Malta for holiday purposes, while another 9,189 trips were undertaken for business purposes.

First- time visitors rose by 6 per cent over 2012. Inbound tourists from EU Member States advanced by 11 per cent, comprising 85 per cent of departing tourists.

Non-EU tourists increased by 16 per cent to 13,147.

The UK remained Malta's main tourism market, with a share of 33 per cent of total inbound trips, followed by Italy at 14 per cent. Significant upward shifts of 35 and 14 per cent were noted in the German and Italian markets respectively.

Total nights spent during the reference month increased by 21 per cent and stood at 687,578 nights. This upward shift was mainly attributed to an increase of 52 per cent in the number of nights spent in private accommodation establishments. The average length of stay stood at 7.7 nights, up by 0.6 of a night when compared to March last year.

The total expenditure was estimated at €67.5 million, up by 15 per cent over 2012.

The total number of departing tourists during the first quarter this year was estimated at 217,501, up by 7 per cent over last year. Of these, 215,615 were departing tourists, up by 6 per cent. Most departing tourists were holiday makers, predominantly from the euro area.

Total nights spent during the period under review were estimated at 1,682,830 - an increase of 13 per cent over last year. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments. The average length of stay stood at 7.8 nights, an increase of 7 per cent over last year.

The total expenditure of departing tourists rose by 9 per cent when compared to last year, to €163.8 million. Total per capita expenditure was estimated at €760 - up by 3 per cent over 2012 levels.