Total outbound tourists for the fourth quarter in 2018 were estimated at 184,004, an increase of 14.7 per cent over the corresponding quarter of 2017, the National Statistics Office said.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, outbound tourists towards EU and non-EU countries increased by 13.3 and 25.1 per cent respectively, when compared to the same quarter in 2017.

Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a joint share of 48.7 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 15.0 per cent, amounting over 1.2 million nights.

In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights (50.3 per cent) were spent in non-rented accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by outbound tourists between October and December increased by 7.8 per cent over the same quarter of 2017, and stood at €148.4 million, equivalent to an average €807 per trip.

Total outbound tourist trips between January and December 2018 numbered 667,048, an increase of 16.5 per cent over 2017).

Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 14.2 per cent, reaching almost 4.5 million nights.

In addition, the total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €563.2 million, 9.0 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2017.