Total inbound visitors for August were estimated at 256,782, an increase of 3.4 per cent when compared to the corresponding month of 2015, the National Statistics Office said today.

It is the first time ever that more than a quarter million tourists visited Malta in just one month, the government said in a statement later. 

Inbound Tourism: August 2016

A total of 228,428 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 7,295 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 2.1 per cent to 220,149 when compared to the corresponding month of 2015.

The majority of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 0-24 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 0.7 per cent when compared to August 2015, amounting to 2,375,917 nights. The largest share of guest nights (50.9 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €270.9 million, a decrease of 1.9 per cent over the corresponding month of 2015.

January-August 2016

Inbound tourist trips from January to August amounted to 1,308,519, an increase of 8.3 per cent over the same period in 2015. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.7 per cent, almost 10.2 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1,156.9 million, 3.6 per cent higher than that recorded for 2015. Total expenditure per capita stood at €884, a decrease of 4.4 per cent when compared to 2015.