Travel abroad up 11 per cent

A total of 152,326 Maltese residents traveled abroad by air or sea between January and July, an increase of 11.4 per cent over the same period last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

Almost 87 per cent of the total travelled to European Union destinations, the most visited countries being Italy and the UK.

The largest proportion of outbound passengers - 46.5 per cent - comprised passengers aged between 25 and 44, followed by those in the 45-64 age bracket who accounted for 38.8 per cent.

In July alone, the number of Maltese residents departing by air and sea was estimated at 34,937, an increase of 11.6 per cent over the same month last year. Of these 84.2 per cent travelled by air.