Tourism from Malta to other countries rose by 16.5 per cent in the second quarter of this year to reach 146,162, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

Tourist trips to non-EU countries increased by 39.8 per cent over the same quarter in 2017, but Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a joint share of 49 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 3.2 per cent, amounting to 943,085 nights. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights (55.5 per cent) were spent in rented accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by outbound tourists between April and June increased by 9.2 per cent over the same quarter of 2017, and stood at €118.3 million, equivalent to an average €809 per trip.

January-June 2018

Total outbound tourist trips between January and June numbered 283,891, an increase of 18 per cent over 2017. Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 9.9 per cent, reaching nearly 1.8 million nights.

In addition, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €221.5 million, 10.1 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2017.