The tourism sector has continued its upward surge, with arrivals climbing by 8.6 per cent in June over the comparable month last year.

The Statistics Office said 179,610 visitors came to Malta in June.

A total of 152,991 inbound visits were made for holiday purposes, while a further 14,562 were undertaken for business. Inbound tourists from EU Member States advanced by 9.9 per cent, reaching 146,717. The largest proportion of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44, closely followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 8.6 per cent when compared to June 2013, reaching 1,354,060 nights. The largest share of guest nights was spent in hotels.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €160.8 million, an increase of 11.0 per cent over the corresponding month last year.

January-June 2014

Total inbound tourism estimated for the first six months of the year amounted to 730,938, up by 8.7 per cent over the corresponding period in 2013. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 7.2 per cent, reaching nearly 5.3 million nights.

During the period under review, total tourism expenditure was estimated at €590.3 million, 8.5 per cent higher than that recorded for the corresponding period in 2013. Total per capita expenditure stood at €815, at par with last year’s levels.

Tourism minister notes increase in repeat visitors

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis welcomed the growth figures and also noted that there had been a16 per cent growth in repeat visitors. The number of nights spent in June had also grown by 9 per cent.