Tourism up more than 10 per cent in one year

A total of 1,243,510 tourists are estimated to have visited Malta last year, a rise of 10.6 per cent over 2006, the National Statistics Office said yesterday. The growth was attributed mainly to an increase in holiday makers from Britain, Scandinavia and Ireland.

Although there was an increase in repeat tourism, data show that the overall rise was primarily characterised by more first-time visits, the NSO said. These are estimated to account for 67.8 per cent of total visits.

The largest age bracket comprised tourists aged 45-64. The strongest increase however was in tourists aged 25-44.

Total nights spent increased by 3.3 per cent. Nights spent in both private and collective accommodation rose by 4.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively.

Tourist nights in rented accommodation remained practically unchanged while nights in owner-occupied accommodation slipped by 3.5 per cent. By contrast, total nights spent in lodging with friends or relatives went up by 17 per cent.

With regard to guest-nights in collective accommodation, a 22.8 per cent increase in the five-star category was contrasted with a decrease in the three-star and a lesser drop in the four-star categories.

The average length of stay of inbound tourists last year is calculated at 8.9 nights, down by 0.6 nights. In the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at Lm454.2 million, an increase of six per cent over 2006. The growth was underpinned by higher non-package and other expenditure. Although the majority are still opting for package travel, direct bookings and non-package stays are exhibiting an increasing trend, the NSO said.

The per capita total expenditure is estimated at Lm373, down by 3.6 per cent when compared to 2006. Last month alone, tourist departures are estimated to have totalled 51,532, a rise of 10.9 per cent over the same month in 2006.