Surge in Maltese travellers in February

The number of Maltese going abroad grew by almost a third in February, official figures show.

The National Statistics Office said the number of Maltese departing by air and sea in February reached 17,042, an increase of 31.3 percent over the same month in 2007.

Of these, 96.4 percent travelled by air and most – 14,963– went to EU destinations. Italy and the UK were the most popular destinations.

The number of Maltese going abroad in the first two months of the year was 29.6 percent higher than in January-February 2007. Sixty-one percent of the travellers were male and half were aged between 25 and 44.