Last April was a record in the history of tourism in Malta, the Tourism Ministry said this morning following the publication of tourist arrival statistics for the month by the National Statistics Office.
The NSO said that according to Tourstat Data, tourist arrivals in April increased by 1.6 per cent when compared to the same month last year. Total nights spent rose by nine per cent, bringing the average length of stay to seven nights.
The number of tourists visiting for holiday purposes were estimated at 100,826, an increase of two per cent over the corresponding month last year. A notable decrease was observed among those travelling for business purposes.
The majority of tourists came from EU states (88 per cent), marginally lower than in 2011. But the number of tourists from non-EU countries increased by 19 per cent.
Malta's main market remained the UK, with a share of 31 per cent, followed by Italy, with a share of 15 per cent. All main markets remained practically unchanged when compared to last year, except for Italy which advanced by 11 per cent.
Non-package travel slightly exceeded package travel but declined marginally, while package travel increased by six per cent.
During the reference month, total expenditure was estimated at €95.1 million, a growth of seven per cent over last year. Expenditure on package travel advanced by six per cent and stood at €33.9 million, while non-package expenditure decreased marginally, reaching €25.4 million.
The number of tourists in the first four-month was estimated at 327,341, down by seven per cent over 2011. This change was mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, Italian and French markets.
Despite these drops, the German market still recorded an upward shift equivalent to 13 per cent when compared to last year's levels. A total 85 per cent of all visitors were from EU states.
Total nights spent during this period went down by three per cent, reaching a total of 2.5 million. The average length of stay for this period stood at 7.6 nights, up by 0.3 of a night over 2011.
Total tourist expenditure for the first four months of the year was estimated at €246.7 million, a one per cent decrease over last year, with the average spend reaching €754 per capita.
The Tourism Ministry said that tourism was a main pillar of the economy with the money tourists spent in Malta generating trade for many local companies leading to the creation of more jobs.
It said the government was investing in an effective strategy based on investment in the product. This included capital projects, infrastructure, open spaces and several schemes for the private sector, as well as investment in effective promotion and in accessibility, with the number of routes in the past years increasing from 45 in 2006 to 81 in 2012.
The government remained committed to invest in the sector because it generated trade, created employment and strengthened the economy. It remained committed to work with stakeholders who were also contributing towards the country's positive results.