Official tourism statistics (Tourstat) which show that more tourists came to Malta in the first quarter of this year, have been described as “encouraging” by the government and back up projections made by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association which had foreseen a pickup in the global desire to go abroad on holiday. The figures also showed a sharp turnaround towards the beginning of March, especially in the cruise liner sector.
According to the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), when compared to the first two months of last year, a seven per cent increase in tourist arrivals was registered. In the same two months, tourists’ expenditure went up by €8 million or 11.2 per cent.
The official statistics backed up what looked to be encouraging projections which were made by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association which had said that it looked like tourist arrivals were beginning to pick up, although it expressed reservations on the impact of new utility tariffs. Meanwhile, cruise liner arrivals also increased through the month of March. Ten cruise liners carrying 24,355 passengers called in Grand Harbour during March, showing an increase of 12,986 passengers over March 2009. In total, 11 vessels were expected to call during the month but one, the Louis Majesty, cancelled one of its calls following an incident at sea.
The increase in March redressed the fall in passenger numbers in January and February. In the first quarter of 2010, 44,786 passengers passed through the port of Valletta, representing an increase of around 41 per cent over the same period last year. The total number of vessels increased from 15 in 2009 to 20 in 2010. Parliamentary secretary Mario de Marco hailed the results as “encouraging”.
Tourstat data showed that the number of inbound tourists in February was 53,074, an increase of 3.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding month last year. During the same period total nights spent were estimated at 424,478.
Results show that 43,998 tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, accounting for the absolute majority of tourist arrivals. A further 6,334 were in Malta for business purposes. The majority of inbound tourists arrived from EU states, especially Italy, Spain and the UK, and accounted for 88 per cent of the total.
19,315 Italian tourists marked the highest increase in arrivals. This marks an increase of 4,794 tourists over the corresponding month last year.
The number of non-EU tourist visitors was estimated at 6,333. First time visitors made up the majority of inbound tourists, with an estimated 62 per cent of the total. During the same period, guest nights in collective accommodation remained comparatively stable, while total nights in private accommodation registered a drop. Overall, 84 per cent of inbound tourists chose to reside in collective accommodation, while 16 per cent made use of private accommodation. The average length of stay stood at 8.0 nights. This means it went down by 0.7 nights when compared to February 2009.
Inbound tourists for the first two months of the year were estimated at 110,025, an increase of seven per cent when compared to the corresponding period last year. In absolute terms, this change was mostly attributed to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the Italian, Spanish and British markets.
The majority of inbound tourists opted for non-package travel, though there was an increase in package trips. The largest proportion of inbound passengers fell within the 46 to 64-year-old age bracket. These were followed by those in the 25 to 44-age bracket. Overall, the majority of tourists visiting Malta remained here for a period of at least seven nights.
The total number of nights spent over the first two months remained comparatively stable. Guest nights in collective accommodation increased, while total nights in private accommodation decreased.
The average length of stay was calculated at 7.8 nights, down by 0.6 nights when compared to last year. In the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €79.1 million, an increase of 11 per cent. Increases were recorded in the package and other expenditure categories. Results indicate that per capita total expenditure was estimated at €729, up by three per cent when compared to 2009 levels.
The three-month consecutive increase is a positive sign, according to Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco who added that this shows that the tourism industry is recovering from the international economic crisis. This encourages the parties involved to look at next year optimistically but cautiously by keeping in mind that European economies are not out of the recession yet.
The results achieved, said Dr de Marco, are fruit of the close collaboration between MTA and tourism operators who worked towards maintaining Malta as an attractive destination.
Dr de Marco added that his secretariat envisages that this year there will be a 7.5 per cent increase in flight seat sales with more routes operating to Malta. Air Malta will be launching new flights from Turin and Genoa. He hopes the local tourism industry is strengthened to multiply economic growth and increase work opportunities.