The number of outbound Maltese tourists in June 2007 increased by 38.2 per cent over the same month last year.

According to the latest figures released by the National Statistics Office, outbound Maltese tourism in June was estimated at 30,700. Of these, 80.6 per cent travelled by air, and 27,226 travelled to European Union destinations, the most popular being Italy and the UK.

Outbound tourism for the first six months of the year reached 117,389, an increase of 11.4 per cent over the same period last year. Almost 87 per cent travelled to EU countries.

When analysed according to age groups, 46.9 per cent of travellers were between the ages of 25 and 44 while those in the 45 to 64 age bracket accounted for 38.7 per cent of the total.