Total outbound visitor trips for the fourth quarter in 2014 were estimated at 110,182, an increase of 5.3% when compared to the same quarter in 2013, said the NSO.

During the quarter under review, there were 101,727 outbound tourist trips, an increase of 6% over the same quarter in 2013, or 6.2% if cruise liner passengers are excluded.

The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries stood at 89,865, an increase of 8.6% over the same quarter in 2013 . Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 57.2% of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 20.4%, reaching 842,188 nights.

In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in private accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between October and December rose by 7.8% when compared to the same period in 2013, and stood at €98.8 million, equivalent to an average €981 per person.

January-December 2014

Total outbound visitor trips in 2014 numbered 436,043, an increase of 6.1% over 2013. During the period under review, there were 396,882 outbound tourist trips, an increase of 7.2% over 2013, or 7.5% cruise liner passengers are excluded. Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 10.9%, reaching almost 3.2 million nights. In addition, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €387.7 million, 4.8% higher than that recorded for the same period in 2013.