A total of 288,033 tourists visited Malta in August, an increase of 12.2 per cent compared to the corresponding month in 2016.

The National Statistics Office said 259,392 foreigners visited on holiday and 7,839 on business. Tourists from the EU member states went up by 11.5 per cent to 245,390 when compared to the corresponding month in 2016. Most inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 0-24 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 8.5 per cent when compared to August 2016, surpassing 2.5 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (53.4 per cent) was spent in private accommodation.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €299.1 million, an increase of 10.4 per cent over the corresponding month in 2016.

January-August figures up 16.6%
Inbound tourist trips from January to August 2017 reached 1,526,092, an increase of 16.6 per cent over the same period in 2016. Total nights spent by tourists went up by 10.4 per cent, surpassing 11.2 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure reached €1.3 billion, 13.1 per cent higher than that recorded for 2016. Total expenditure per capita stood at €857, a decrease of 3 per cent when compared to 2016.