More than 1.52 million tourists visited Malta this year between January and November, surpassing the 1.44 million mark reached during the whole of last year.
The National Statistics Office yesterday said that inbound tourism increased by 14.5% in November over the corresponding month the year before. 100,365 tourists visited Malta during the month under review, with 99,928 being departing tourists and 437 others staying overnight on board berthed cruise vessels.
The NSO said that 79,902 people came to Malta on holiday while 12,266 visited for business purposes. Holidaymakers registered an increase of 17% over the same month last year. First-time visitors accounted for the majority of inbound tourists, with an estimated 66% of the total, albeit a notable increase in repeat tourism was also registered. Inbound tourism from EU Member States rose by 12% while the number of Non-EU tourists advanced by 44% to 18,405.
Total nights spent by departing tourists during November went up by 15%, reaching 751,284. The average length of stay stood at 7.5 nights, marginally down by 0.2 of a night when compared to last year’s levels. The majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments, where an increase of 16% was recorded.
Total expenditure during November also rose by 11% over last year to €77 million.
Tourism at all time high
The total number of departing tourists who visited Malta during this eleven-month period exceeded the 1.5 million mark, a new all-time high, increasing by 10% over the comparable period last year. In absolute terms, the main origin of inbound tourists remained the British market. A significant increase was also recorded in the Libyan, Austrian, Russian, Italian and Swiss markets. On the other hand, the Spanish market dropped by 12%.
83% of all inbound visitors comprised tourists coming from EU Member States. On the other hand, the Non-EU tourism market rose by 24% when compared to 2012 levels. Most of the departing tourists opted for non-package travel; however an increase in package trips was recorded. Total nights spent during the period under review were estimated at 12.3 million - up by 9% over last year.
The average length of stay stood at 8.1 nights, slightly below 2012 estimates. On a gender basis, male tourists exceeded females, accounting for 52% of the total. The largest proportions of inbound passengers were aged between 45 and 64, followed by tourists within the 25-44 age bracket.
During the same period, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €1.4 billion, up by 9% when compared to 2012 levels. The total per capita expenditure stood at €917.