Total inbound visitors for May were estimated at 177,895, an increase of 5.5 per cent when compared to the corresponding month of 2014, according to the National Statistics Office.

Excluding the passengers who stayed overnight on board their berthed cruise ship, total inbound tourist trips amounted to 177,203.

Inbound Tourism: May 2015

A total of 153,104 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 11,160 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 11.3 per cent to 155,306. The largest proportion of inbound tourists was aged between 45 and 64, followed by those within the 25-44 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 5.9 per cent when compared to May 2014, reaching 1,215,994 nights. The largest share of guest nights (68.5 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €149.2 million, an increase of 7.9 per cent over the corresponding month of 2014.

January-May

Inbound tourist trips from January to May amounted to 579,693, an increase of 5.9 per cent over the same period in 2014. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 4.2 per cent, reaching almost 4.1 million nights.

During January-May, total tourism expenditure was estimated at €460.4 million, 7.2 per cent higher than that recorded for 2014. Total per capita expenditure stood at €794, an increase of 1.1 per cent when compared to 2014. In a statement, the Malta Tourism Authority said it welcomed the results.