Holidays: One in four going abroad this summer

The MaltaToday survey on the holiday intentions of the Maltese shows that only 38% of respondents will be taking a holiday of three days or more away from home during the summer months. 

The survey also shows that Italy remains the favourite destination of the Maltese, followed by cruises and the UK. 

While the percentage of people having a holiday has fallen from 41% in 2006 to 38% now, the percentage of those who take a holiday abroad has risen from 20% in 2006 to 26% now.

This emerges from a MaltaToday survey, which asked respondents where they would be spending a holiday of at least two days away from home. Respondents who had more than one holiday were told to refer to their main one. 

Similar surveys were held in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

The survey suggests that while the percentage of those who cannot afford a holiday of more than two days away from home has only decreased slightly from 2009 levels, those who can afford are more likely to spend their holiday abroad.  

The 2009 survey, which coincided with the global recession, registered a sharp 6-point drop in the number of respondents who take a holiday but still showed the percentage of those who travel abroad increasing to 24%. This increase coincided with the introduction of low cost airlines.  

With more people spending their holidays abroad, they are less likely to spend their holidays in Malta than 10 years ago.

Compared to 2006 those who spend their main summer holiday in Gozo has gone down from 12% in 2006 to 8% now. The number of those who spend a holiday in a summer residence have also declined by two points in the past decade.

Not surprisingly the most likely to spend their summer holiday abroad were under-35 year olds and the university educated. 34% of all under-35 year olds and 37% of university graduates spend their holidays abroad in contrast to 24% of secondary educated respondents and 20% of over-55 year olds.

Post-secondary educated respondents are the most likely to spend their holiday in Gozo or in a hotel in Malta. Those aged between 35 and 54 were the most likely to take a holiday in a hotel in Malta.

As in previous surveys Italy remains the most popular foreign destination, attracting 44% of all those who travel abroad.

The percentage of those who go on a cruise has shot up from 10% in 2009 to 19% of all those who travel abroad in 2016. People who travel on a cruise during the summer now account for 3% of the total population.