More than half the Maltese population did not go on holiday last year, with financial constraints cited as the main reason, according to a Eurobarometer survey.

The survey, conducted last month, showed that in 2009 the Maltese were the least likely among EU citizens to go abroad. A total of 56 per cent did not travel, followed closely by Hungarians at 51 per cent.

The Attitude of Europeans Towards Tourism in 2010, published in Brussels, showed that 5.5 per cent of Maltese who did not go abroad said they had not found the time to take a holiday.

The Finns and the Dutch travelled the most, with 87 and 86 per cent of their populations spending at least one night on holiday or business travel last year.

According to the survey, only 20 per cent of more than 30,000 randomly selected EU citizens were almost certain they would not travel this year, which is significantly below the proportion of non-travellers in 2009 (33 per cent).

In Malta, the percentage of those who have no plans to travel this year stands at 35 per cent. This, however, is still less than the 44 per cent who stayed at home in 2009.

Meanwhile, 30.3 per cent of the Maltese said they had decided they would spend at least a short holiday of four nights abroad, with 13.2 per cent saying they planned a long holiday of about two weeks. Another 20 per cent said they still had to make up their mind.

This year, 50 per cent of Europeans intend to take advantage of the luxury of travelling within their own country or to another EU country.

Spain was the most popular destination in 2008 and 2009 and dominates the current plans for 2010. It is closely followed by France and Italy. However, 17 per cent of EU residents planning a holiday in 2010 have not yet decided on the destination.