The number of Maltese passengers departing by air and sea amounted to 152,326 between January and July this year, an increase of 11.4 per cent over the same period last year, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.
Almost 87 per cent of the total travelled to European Union destinations; the most visited countries being Italy and the UK.
During this period, male outbound passengers exceeded female ones, the former accounting for 59.6 per cent of the total.
The largest proportion of outbound passengers – 46.5 per cent – comprised passengers aged between 25 and 44 years, followed by those in the 45-64 age bracket who accounted for 38.8 per cent of total Maltese travellers
In July only, Maltese residents departing by air and sea are estimated at 34,937 – an increase of 11.6 per cent over last year. Of these, 30,080 travelled to European Union destinations, the most popular being Italy and the UK.