Inbound tourism up 15% in January

Total inbound visitors for January were estimated at 85,439, an increase of 15.0 per cent when compared to the corresponding month of 2015.

A total of 71,844 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 9,492 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 16.2 per cent to 71,083 when compared to the corresponding month of 2015. The largest proportion of inbound tourists was aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 9.0 per cent when compared to January 2015, amounting to 656,561 nights. The largest share of guest nights (62.3 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €65.3 million, an increase of 7.0 per cent over the corresponding month of 2015.

MTA reacts

The Malta Tourism Authority expressed satisfaction with the double-digit growth rate achieved during the winter month of January, calling the encouraging data the result of the Authority’s efforts to increase business in the off-peak period.

"All the major source markets feature increased tourism flows during the month of January 2016, with the exception of France, which experienced a drop attributed to a decline in air seat capacity on the Paris route," the MTA said in its statement.