The collapse of tourist arrivals last year as a result of COVID-19 was laid out in figures by the National Statistics Office on Wednesday. 

It said that in 2020, inbound tourist trips totalled 658,567, a decrease of 76.1 per cent from 2019. Total nights spent by tourists decreased by 73.0 per cent. Tourist expenditure was estimated at €455.1 million, a decrease of 79.5 per cent. Total expenditure per capita stood at €691, a decrease of 14.4 per cent when compared to 2019.

The NSO also issued a timeline of how the tourism industry was hit by the pandemic over 2020.

The NSO said that in December, the number of tourist arrivals was estimated at 12,940, a decrease of 91.1 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2019. 8,525 arrived on holiday and  2,740 on business. Most tourists were aged between 25 and 44 years (46.6 per cent), followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket (25.4 per cent).  

Total nights spent went down by 77.2 per cent when compared to December 2019, totalling to 228,180 nights. The largest share of guest nights (51.6 per cent) was spent in non-rented accommodation establishments. A general increase in the average length of stay was recorded, especially among tourists staying in other rented and non-rented accommodation.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €13.2 million, a decrease of 86.6 per cent over the corresponding month in 2019.