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Inbound tourists increase almost 18% over October 2009
Tourstat data for October showed an increase of 17.9% in the number of inbound tourists over October 2009.
1 December 2010, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Inbound tourists were estimated at 146,397, the majority of whom were holidaymakers. Most inbound tourists came from EU Member States, with repeat visitors registering an 11% increase.
Tourists from Non-EU destinations were also on the rise and accounted for 13% of the total for the month.
The main markets for incoming tourists were UK, Germany and Italy; however a notable increase was evident in the number of French tourists.
Non-package trips were the most popular among inbound tourists, with an estimated 53% of the total. Both package and non-package trips rose by 19 and 17% respectively.
An increase of 6% was recorded in the number of tourists spending a minimum of seven nights in Malta.
Total nights spent during October were estimated at around 1.1 million, the majority of which were spent in collective accommodation establishments. This is equivalent to an increase of 18%. Total nights spent in private accommodation were 19% higher when compared to the corresponding month last year. The average length of stay was estimated at 7.7 nights, at par with the estimate for last year.
Inbound tourists in the first 10 months totalled 1.2 million, up by 13% when compared to the corresponding period last year. Increases were recorded in the number of repeat tourists and first-time visitors, albeit the latter still constituted the majority (Table 6). The average length of stay stood at 8.4 nights, marginally down from last year's estimate.
On a gender basis, male tourists exceeded females, accounting for 51% of inbound tourists. The majority of tourists fell within the 25-44 age bracket, closely followed by those in the 45-64 age group. Nonetheless, a significant increase was observed in the number of tourists under 25 years of age.
Total nights spent over the first ten months advanced by 13%, surpassing the 10 million mark. Guest nights in collective accommodation establishments increased by 13%, primarily spent in hotel accommodation. Nights spent in private accommodation were 12% above last year's levels.
Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €1,034 million, or 23% higher than that for the corresponding period last year. Increases were recorded in all expenditure categories. Total per capita expenditure stood at €862, up by 8% over January-October 2009.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
duncan abela •
Well done to all concerned especially the MHRA and the Minister of Tourism. Tourism is and must remain the main pillar of our economy. We must continue nurturing the tourist industry and keep our prices reasonable. Unfortunately while hotel room prices are reasonable , not so restaurant prices which are often pricey, provide inferior quality of food and the service is nondescript. A decent tourist set menu should be required of all eating places.
We must explore and develop further newer specialist types of tourist market opportunities.
One neglected sector which paid dividends in the past iI feel is the long term wintering in Malta tourist. Redeveloping such a market would provide an opportunity for developing a long stay apartments business and partially alleviate the current problem of many empty new apartments.
One encouraging trend is the increase in the number of repeat visitors. We must find a way of maintaining regular contact with visitors through online information and communication to encourage repeat visits.
The figures also show that the majority of visitors are non-package visitors who tend to be spur of the moment late bookers. Perhaps Air Malta could as part of its restructuring develop a business model with late booking and standby arrangements in mind. This runs counter to the Low cost carrier model and can therefore create a market of last minute bookings to fill empty seats.
