Total inbound tourist trips for December 2014 were estimated at 66,619, an increase of 1.4% when compared to the corresponding month of 2013, the National Statistics Office said. Excluding the passengers who stayed overnight on board berthed cruise ships, total inbound tourist trips amounted to 66,232.

A total of 53,136 inbound visits were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 8,176 were undertaken for business. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 7.7% to 55,512. The largest proportion of inbound tourists were aged between 45 and 64, followed by those within the 25-44 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 3.1% when compared to December 2013, reaching 585,264. The largest share of guest nights (60.0%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €51.7 million, an increase of 4.4% over the corresponding month a year earlier.

January-December 2014

Inbound tourism from January to December amounted to 1,714,533, an increase of 7.8% over the same period in 2013. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 4.9%, reaching 13.5 million. Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1.5 billion, 6.1% higher than that recorded for the same period in 2013. Total per capita expenditure stood at €905, slightly lower than 2013.