September tourism down 6.8%

The number of tourists visiting Malta in September numbered 130,296, down by 6.8 percent when compared to the corresponding month in 2008.

Tourstat data issued by the National Statistics Office shows that during the same period total nights spent were recorded at 1,138,763.

The majority, or 112,007, of tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes while 10,357 were in Malta for business. A decrease of 10.8 percent was recorded in the number of first-time visitors, while repeat tourists remained comparatively stable when compared to 2008.

Furthermore 89.1 percent of tourists visiting Malta came from EU member states, while air transport remained the most popular means of reaching Malta, with an estimated 99.2 percent.

During the same period, guest nights in collective accommodation recorded a drop of 13.3 percent, while total nights in private accommodation remained practically unchanged.

Overall, the average length of stay was calculated at 8.7 nights, down by 0.2 nights when compared to September last year.

Tourist arrivals since January were estimated at 936,342, a decrease of 10.4 percent over the corresponding period in 2008.

This change is mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, primarily from the British, German and Scandinavian markets.

On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Italian and Libyan markets.

The majority of inbound tourists preferred non-package travel, with the demand for package trips decreasing by 13.5 percent.

The largest proportion of inbound passengers were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those in the 45-64 age bracket.

Together, these two categories make up 72.5 percent of total tourists.

Overall the majority of tourists visiting Malta remain for a period of at least seven nights. Total nights spent during the reference period decreased by 10.3 percent when compared to the corresponding period in 2008.

The average length of stay was calculated at 8.6 nights, at par with 2008. In the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €744.2 million, a drop of 12.9 percent in comparison with 2008.

Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

Survey results indicated that per capita total expenditure wasestimated at €812, down by 2.4 percent when compared to last year.