Number of Maltese travellers up 13% in third quarter – NSO

Total outbound tourists for the third quarter in 2017 were estimated at 171,411, an increase of 13.2 per cent over the corresponding quarter of 2016, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

July-September

During the third quarter of 2017, outbound tourist trips towards non-EU countries increased by 44.0 per cent over the same quarter in 2016. Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 46.6 per cent of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 8.6 per cent, surpassing 1.2 million nights. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between July and September increased by 9.4 per cent over the same quarter of 2016, and stood at €177.6 million, equivalent to an average €1,036 per trip.

January-September

Total outbound tourist trips between January and September 2017 numbered 412,083, an increase of 14.7 per cent over 2016. Total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 12.4 per cent, surpassing 2.8 million nights. In addition, total estimated outlay by resident tourists stood at €378.8 million, 10.6 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2016.