Total inbound tourist trips for March 2015 were estimated at 101,769, an increase of 4.1 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2014, the NSO said.

A total of 75,736 inbound visits were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 11,757 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 7.3 per cent to 87,112 compared to a year before. The largest proportion of inbound tourists were aged between 45 and 64, followed by those within the 25-44 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 5.5 per cent when compared to March 2014, reaching 724,223. The largest share of guest nights (72.5 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €78.1 million, an increase of 6.4 per cent over the corresponding month last year.

January-March 2015

Inbound tourism from January to March amounted to 250,565, an increase of 7.7 per cent over the same period in 2014. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.8 per cent, reaching 1.9 million nights.

During the first quarter of this year, total tourism expenditure