According to the ongoing frontier survey, tourist departures in May are estimated at 109,027, implying an increase of 6.1 per cent over the same month in 2006, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday. The increase primarily reflects a rise in the number of holiday-makers, mainly from the British, Scandinavian and Italian markets, contrasted with a fall in the number of tourists from the Netherlands, France and Austria, said the NSO.
On the other hand, total nights spent fell short by 4.5 per cent, compared to the same month in 2006. Year-on-year, total nights spent in private and collective accommodation fell, by 12.4 and two per cent respectively. Overall, the average length of stay is calculated at 7.5 nights, shorter by 0.8 nights when compared to May 2006.
January-May 2007
Inbound tourists for the first five months of the year are estimated at 384,380, implying an increase of six per cent over the corresponding period a year ago. The growth was primarily attributable to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the Scandinavian, Irish, Italian and British markets. Falls were recorded in respect of the French, Dutch, Austrian and Belgian markets.
Eighty-seven per cent of all inbound visits comprised tourists coming from EU member states. Although there was an increase in repeat tourism, the data show that the overall increase was primarily characterised by a rise in first-time visits, the latter estimated to account for 65.8 per cent of the total.
The largest age bracket comprised tourists aged between 45 and 64, albeit the overall increase is attributable to tourists aged 24 and under.
Total nights spent was down by 1.9 per cent when compared to the same period in 2006, implying shorter stays. Year-on-year, nights spent in private accommodation went down by 6.8 per cent, while those in collective accommodation fell by 0.4 per cent.
Tourist nights in rented accommodation and in lodgings with friends and relatives registered a decrease, while those in owner-occupied accommodation remained almost unchanged.
With regard to collective accommodation, the decrease was category-specific – fewer nights in the 3-star category offset all increases recorded in the remaining collective accommodation establishments, mainly the 5-star
category. The average length of stay is calculated at 8.4 nights, down by 0.6 nights when compared to last year’s level.
During the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at Lm130.6 million, an increase of five per cent over the same period in 2006. The increase was underpinned by higher non-package expenditure and other expenditure. Although the majority still opt for package travel, direct bookings and non-package stays are exhibiting an increasing trend.
The survey results indicate that the per capita total expenditure is estimated at Lm347, virtually unchanged from the figure in the same period in the previous year.