Increase in tourist departures

The number of tourists departing by air in August was estimated at 162,910, an increase of 5,240 or 3.3 per cent over the same month last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

Sea departures were estimated at 14,187 tourists. As a result, total tourist departures amounted to 177,097, an increase of six per cent over the estimated 167,112 tourists in August last year.

Tourists departing by air to France increased by 1,363 over the same month last year. Other markets recording increases included the Belgian, the Danish, the British, the Dutch, the Swedish, the Russian, the Norwegian, the US and a group of "other" markets.

Departing Italian tourists accounted for 10.9 per cent of all tourist departures. Over the same month last year, these declined by 6.4 per cent. Other drops in tourist departures by air were recorded in, among others, the Austrian, the German, the Swiss and the Libyan markets.

In the period under review, holiday tourists accounted for 89.5 per cent of all tourists while business tourists accounted for 2.3 per cent. This shows a decline in the proportion of business travellers to Malta when compared to the same period last year. Then, business tourists accounted for 3.4 per cent of all tourist departures.

During January - August tourist departures by air increased by 1.4 per cent over the same period last year and reached 764,523. In the comparable period last year tourist departures by air reached 753,851.

The French market, which accounted for approximately 8.1 per cent of all tourist departures in the period under review, increased by 3,767 tourists or 6.5 per cent. Other markets recording increases in tourist departures included the Belgian, the Danish, the Italian, the Swedish, the Norwegian, the Russian, the US and a group of "other" markets.

Around 39.8 per cent of the tourists departing by air during this period were British. Over the same period last year, these declined by 3.3 per cent. Other declining markets included the Austrian, the Dutch, the German, the Swiss and the Libyan markets.

In August this year, total tourism expenditure was estimated at Lm73.4 million, an increase of Lm2.3 million or 3.3 per cent over the same month last year.