Inbound tourists in August 2008 are estimated to have increased by 1.2 per cent when compared to the same month in 2007. Year on year, total nights spent decreased by 0.4 per cent.

August 2008 - According to the ongoing frontier survey, tourist departures in August are estimated at 178,570, implying an increase of 1.2 per cent over the same month in 2007. The increase reflects primarily a rise in the Italian, German and Scandinavian markets, while tourists coming from UK, Netherlands and France registered decreases. Results also show that 87.7 per cent of inbound tourists in August came to Malta on holiday.

Meanwhile, total nights spent decreased by 0.4 per cent when compared to the same month in 2007. Year on year, total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 9.1 per cent, while the collective accommodation category registered an increase of 5.1 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay is calculated at 10.8 nights, down by 0.1 nights when compared to August 2007.

January-August 2008 - Inbound tourists for the first eight months of 2008 are estimated at 905,374, implying an increase of 9.6 per cent over the corresponding period a year ago. In absolute terms, the growth is mostly attributable to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the German, Italian and Spanish markets. On the other hand decreases were recorded in the British, American and Libyan markets.

88.3 per cent of all inbound visits comprised tourists coming from EU Member States. Although there was an increase in repeat tourism, data show that the overall increase in the period under review was mainly brought about by a rise in first-time visits, with the latter estimated to account for 70.4 per cent of total visits. The largest age bracket comprised tourists aged 25-44, followed by those in the 45-64 age bracket.

Total nights spent increased by 5.2 per cent when compared to the same period in 2007. Nights spent in private accommodation registered an increase of 5.1 per cent, while guest nights in collective accommodation increased by 5.2 per cent. With regards to collective accommodation the 5- and 4- star hotel categories increased respectively by 5.6 and 4.4 per cent, while the 3- star category recorded a drop of 4.6 per cent. The average length of stay is calculated at 8.7 nights, down by 0.4 nights when compared to last year's level.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at €732.6 million, an increase of 1.1 per cent over 2007. The growth in non-package was contrasted by a reduction in package expenditure.

The survey results indicate that the per capita total expenditure is estimated at €820, down by 8.7 per cent when compared to the corresponding period last year.