Total inbound tourist trips for July were estimated at 200,440, an increase of 9.7 per cent when compared to the corresponding month last year. Excluding the passengers who stayed overnight on board their berthed cruise ship, this increase amounted to 8.5 per cent, the NSO said.

A total of 169,984 inbound visits were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 9,388 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 11.3 per cent, reaching 162,180. The largest proportion of inbound tourists was aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 0-24 age bracket.

Total nights spent went down by 0.7 per cent when compared to July 2013, reaching 1,737,304 nights. The largest share of guest nights was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €202.7 million, an increase of 3.2 per cent over the corresponding month a year earlier.

January-July 2014

Inbound tourism ?rst seven months this year amounted to 931,378, an increase of 8.9 per cent over the same period in 2013. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.1 per cent, reaching 7.0 million nights.

During the period under review, total tourism expenditure was estimated at €793.1 million. This estimate is 7.1 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2013. Total per capita expenditure stood at €860, a decrease of 1.4 per cent when compared to last year’s levels.