Inbound tourism down by 4% over 2011

Inbound tourists for the first five months of the year were estimated at 459,780, down by 4 per cent over 2011. In absolute terms, this change was mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly  from  the  British,  Belgian,  Italian  and  French  markets.  On  the  other  hand,  the  German market  recorded  an  upward  shift  of  13  per  cent  when  compared  to  last  year’s  levels. 86 per cent of all inbound trips were undertaken by tourists coming from EU Member States.

During  the  period  under  review,  the  majority  of  inbound  tourists  opted  for  non-package  travel; albeit  an  increase  in  package  trips  was  registered.  Decreases  were  observed  in  both  first-time visitors and repeat tourists, equivalent to 3 and 7 per cent respectively. On a gender basis, male tourists  exceeded  females,  accounting  for  53  per  cent  of  the  total.  The  largest  proportion  of inbound tourists were between 45 and 64 years of age.

Total  nights  spent  during  this  period  went  marginally  down  (1  per  cent),  reaching  almost  3.5 million nights. The average length of stay for this period stood at 7.6 nights, up by 0.4 of a night over 2011. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments.  However,  in  percentage  terms,  an  increase  was  noted  in  the  number  of  nights spent  in  private  accommodation.

However, total  tourist  expenditure  remained  almost  at  par  with  last  year's  level,  reaching  €355.9  million, while the average spend increased to €774 per capita. This resulted in an increase of 5 per cent over last year. Tourstat data for May estimates inbound tourists at 133,659, an increase of 2.5 per cent over last year. Total nights spent during the corresponding period rose by 12.1 per cent, bringing the average length of stay to 7.5
nights.

During the month under review, 114,687 tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 10,881 travelled on business. Holidaymakers comprised the absolute majority of inbound tourists,  and  registered  an  increase  of  7  per  cent.  However,  a  notable  decrease  was  observed among those travelling for business purposes. In line with previous months, 87 per cent of inbound tourists came from EU Member States and in particular from the euro area.

The main market for inbound tourists remained the UK, with a share equivalent to 30 per cent of the  total.  Second  in  line  is  the  Italian  market,  with  a  share  of  12  per  cent.  The  British  market registered a decrease of 4 per cent, while Germany and Italy experienced increases of 14 and 19 per cent, respectively.

During May, inbound tourists spent a total of over 1 million nights in Malta, up by 12 per cent when compared  to  2011.  In  absolute  terms,  the  majority  of  guest  nights  were  spent  in  collective accommodation  establishments  and  in  particular  in  hotel  accommodation.  Nonetheless,  a substantial increase of 30 per cent in the use of private accommodation was recorded.

During the reference month, total expenditure was estimated at €109.7 million, a growth of 3 per cent over last year. Expenditure on package travel advanced by 12 per cent and stood at €41.5 million, while other expenditure increased by 5 per cent. In contrast, expenditures incurred by non-package travellers experienced a drop.
January-May 2012.