Rise in number of Maltese travellers

Last January saw a resurgence in travel abroad compared to the same month last year, with a total of 14,117 Maltese passengers departing by air - an increase of 17.6 per cent.

The National Statistics Office, which released the figures, said the increase was mainly due to an 8.1 per cent rise in the number of Maltese travelling to the UK over January 2004. Maltese air departures to Britain made up 29 per cent of the total.

A group of "other" markets garnered 36.5 per cent of total air departures. Increases were also recorded for Maltese departing to Germany, the Netherlands and Tunisia.

On the other hand, there were fewer Maltese travelling to Italy which, albeit being the second most preferred destination for a visit, was down by 12.7 per cent over January 2004.

There were also drops in the number of Maltese travelling to France and Spain.

Of the Maltese travelling abroad by air, 97.7 per cent had a length of stay of less than six months, the NSO said.

The majority of Maltese air departures in the month under review were male, accounting for 61.6 per cent.