10% increase in outbound travel in last quarter of 2015

Total outbound tourists for the fourth quarter in 2015 were estimated at 110,924, an increase of 10.2 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2014.

During the fourth quarter of 2015, the number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries stood at 98,571, an increase of 9.7 per cent over the same quarter in 2014. Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 54.0 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 1.7 per cent, reaching 856,303 nights. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in private accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between October and December increased by 7.7 per cent over the same quarter of 2014, and stood at €106.5 million, equivalent to an average €960 per trip.

Total outbound tourist trips between January and December 2015 numbered 428,033, an increase of 9.6 per cent over 2014. Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 2.7 per cent, reaching almost 3.3 million nights. In addition, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €422.7 million, 9.0 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2014.