Inbound tourists up 1.3% in July

Estimates indicate that 137,031 tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, accounting for the absolute majority of arrivals. A drop was registered in the number of business tourists.

In line with previous months, the majority of inbound tourists came from EU Member States, in particular from the euro area. Meanwhile, tourists from Non-EU countries advanced by 15%. The UK and Italian markets continued to be the main origins of inbound tourism, despite a decrease registered for the latter.

Inbound tourists spent over 1.5 million nights in Malta, with an average length of stay estimated at 9.7 nights, at par with last year's levels. Guest nights in private accommodation increased by 3%. However, the majority of inbound tourist nights were spent in collective accommodation. Results also indicate that the largest share of tourists visiting Malta (78%) stayed for a period of at least 7 nights.

Total expenditure was estimated at €172 million, a rise of 6% over July 2010. The growth in package and other expenditure was contrasted by a reduction in non-package expenditure.

Inbound tourists during the first seven months this year were estimated at 780,432, up by 10% over the corresponding period in 2010. This was mostly attributed to a growth in holiday visits, mainly from the French, Belgian and Dutch markets.

In absolute terms, the main origin for inbound tourist trips continued to be the UK market. A significant decrease was recorded in the Libyan market, due to the suspension of the air and sea traffic. Most inbound tourists came from EU Member States, while tourists from Non-EU countries advanced by 33%.

The majority of inbound tourists opted for non-package travel. During the reference period demand for both package and non-package trips increased by 13 and 7% respectively. Increases were recorded in both the number of repeat tourists and in the number of first-time visitors. A substantial increase was noted at both ends of the age spectrum, namely the 0-24 and the 65+ categories. On a gender basis male tourists exceeded female ones, and accounted for 53% of the total.

The number of nights spent was estimated at 6.1 million, up by 7% when compared to the corresponding period in 2010. The majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments, where an increase of 6% was recorded over last year. Total nights spent in private accommodation advanced by 11%. The average length of stay stood at 7.8 nights, a decrease of 0.2 of a night over 2010 estimates.

Total tourist expenditure during this period was estimated at €640 million, an increase of 13% over 2010 levels. Increases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories, contributing an increase in per capita expenditure of 2%, which reached €820.