Airport-based staff from the National Statistics Office have been given new uniforms.

The staff carry out interviews as part of ongoing survey among departing passengers at the Malta International Airport.

In the past, the statistics were compiled from disembarkation cards which foreign nationals completed on arrival and referred to the local context only.

“This gave no scope for international comparisons and therefore resulted in a more bureaucratic system,” Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said, during a recent visit.

The NSO improves the accuracy of the findings by calibrating against administrative data obtained from the MIA and the operators of sea passenger transport. The NSO also undertakes regular quality and consistency checks to minimise survey bias and to produce reliable data.

NSO director general Michael Pace Ross noted that one out of every 20 tourists are surveyed every day.

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