March tourist arrivals down 21.4%

Tourist arrivals in March declined by 21.4 percent in March when compared to the corresponding month last year (when March was Easter month). The figures were practically unchanged when compared to March 2007

The NSO said today that 71,153 tourists came to Malta last month, of whom 77.1 percent were here on holiday and 13.2 percent on business.

Tourist nights dropped by 25.5 percent when compared to the corresponding month in 2008. Total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 8.4 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation decreased by 29.7 percent.

Total tourist expenditure during the same period was estimated at €44.1 million, down by 29.4 per cent when compared to March 2008.

The January-March 2009 figures show a decline of 17.8 percent in arrivals, with the number of visitors reaching 174,039.

The NSO said there were fewer tourists from the German, British and Spanish markets. On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Italian, Libyan and Russian markets.

The majority of inbound tourists chose non-package travel, while the demand for package trips decreased by 24.4 percent. The largest proportion of inbound passengers were aged between 45 and 64, followed by those in the 25-44 age bracket.

Per capita total expenditure was estimated at €660, a decrease of 3.5 per cent over the comparable period last yea.