15% increase in outbound tourism in second quarter

Total outbound tourists for the second quarter in 2015 were estimated at 95,927, an increase of 15.3 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2014.

During the second quarter of 2015, the number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries stood at 86,627, an increase of 19.3 per cent over the same quarter in 2014. Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 54.2 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 9.6 per cent, reaching 738,182 nights. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in private accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between April and June increased by 16.8 per cent over the same quarter of last year, and stood at €89.5 million, equivalent to an average of €933 per trip (Tables 5 and 6).

Total outbound tourist trips between January and June 2015 numbered 174,881, an increase of 8.9 per cent over 2014. Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 1.5 per cent, reaching 1.3 million nights. In addition, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €160.6 million, 8.6 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2014