The outgoing travel industry, particularly airlines and tour operators, could see a decline in business, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.
Less than half of the Maltese respondents (45 per cent) said they were planning a holiday this year, a five per cent drop over 2011. These include individuals planning a break in Gozo.
The EU-wide survey, conducted by Misco in January, was carried out among a scientifically selected sample of 501 respondents.
While in the EU those planning a holiday this year rose to 80 per cent from the 72 per cent who actually went on holiday in 2011, Malta is going the other way.
Malta already had the lowest percentage of citizens going on holiday in the EU last year, with 50 per cent of the population staying at home. From the remaining half who did take a holiday, five per cent only managed a short break without leaving the islands.
One of the reasons why Malta has a low level of holidaymakers could be the high costs involved. Unlike many of their European counterparts, the Maltese cannot travel overland but have to catch costlier means of transport such as planes and boats.
Decline in travel could be due to high costs involved
In fact, 78 per cent of European holidaymakers in 2011 said they travelled to their holiday destination by car.
The size of the island is also a disadvantage because in other member states it is possible to go on holiday while remaining in the same country. In 2011, 56 per cent of holidaymakers spent their vacation in their own country. This less expensive option was most popular among the Greeks (80 per cent), the Bulgarians (77 per cent) and the Italians (74 per cent). Only two per cent of Luxembourgers opted for a holiday “at home”.
On a general EU level, the survey on Europeans Attitudes Towards Tourism shows that the majority of EU residents are confident travellers, who prefer organising their own holidays. Fifty-three per cent of Europeans booked their holidays via the internet.
Just under half (48 per cent) of those who went on holiday last year said they mainly did so for rest and recreation reasons, 36 per cent said they were seeking “sun and beach” and 28 per cent to “visit family and friends”.