It is half as cheap to book your own holiday than to take a package tour, according to figures released yesterday.

Maltese nationals who travelled abroad on non-package trips spent an average of almost €53 per night last year, as against €101 in the case of package travel.

According to the National Statistics Office, Maltese travellers abroad exceeded 331,000 last year, an increase of seven per cent on the previous year. They spent almost €340 million.

Non-package travel accounted for three quarters of all trips.

EU destinations were by far the most preferred choice with Italy and the UK ranking as the most popular. Trips to Italy increased by eight per cent whereas those to the UK declined by two per cent.

More than half of outbound trips consisted of holidays and 19 per cent were undertaken for business and professional reasons.

The NSO said the average length of stay was highest among outbound tourists visiting relatives and friends at 13 nights.

An absolute majority used hotels with an average length of stay of 5.9 nights. For those staying in private accommodation the average length of stay stood at 12 nights.