Tourism statistics show double-digit drops

Valletta, 04/09/09 - In July an estimated 135,783 people travelled to the islands, a drop of 9.2 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2008. Total nights spent decreased by eight percentage points, the National Statistics Office reports.

As always, the majority of tourists, or 98.2 per cent, travelled to Malta by air. Furthermore, an estimated 113,494 came here for a holiday.

Meanwhile, total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 9.8 per cent, and guest nights in hotels showed a drop of 7.1 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay was 9.7 nights, practically unchanged when compared to 2008 levels.

Arrivals for the first seven months of 2009, meantime, were estimated at 633,651, a slide of 12.8 per cent over the corresponding period last year. In absolute terms, the change is primarily attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, German and Nordic markets.

On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Italian, Libyan and Swiss markets.

Most tourists, 88.7 per cent came from EU member states. And the majority of arrivals chose non-package travel, while the demand for package trips decreased by 12.4 per cent.

The largest proportion of arrivals were between 45 and 64 years old followed by those in the 25 to 44 age bracket.

Total nights spent in the first seven months decreased by 12.2 per cent when compared to 2008 levels. Nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 4.9 per cent, while guest nights in paid accommodation decreased by 14.8 per cent. The average length of stay was 8.1 nights, at par with 2008.

During the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at €478.1 million, down by 13.4 per cent when compared to 2008. Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.
The survey results indicate that per capita total expenditure is estimated at €770, up by 0.3 per cent in comparison with 2008.

Tourism income down 12% in 2009

Valletta, 31/07/09 – Arrivals in June were down 11.9 per cent to 113,953, compared to the same month last year. Total nights spent on the islands also decreased by nine per cent, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The NSO says 99,793 travelled to Malta for a holiday, the majority from EU member states. A further 8,056 visited Malta for business.

Meanwhile, total nights spent in private accommodation rose by 3.4 per cent, while guest nights in hotels propped 13.5 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay was at 8.2 nights.

For the first half of the year an estimated 497,868 people travelled to Malta, a decrease of 13.8 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. The change is mostly attributable to a decrease in holidays, mainly from the British, German and French markets (see Tourism departures 2009).

On the other hand, there were increases from the Italian and Libyan markets.

For the period under review, the majority of inbound tourists chose non-package travel. The demand for package and non-package trips decreased by 10.7 and 16.2 per cent respectively, according to the NSO.

The largest proportion of arrivals was aged between 45 and 64 followed by those in the 25 to 44 age bracket. Together these two categories comprised 75.7 per cent of total tourists.

During the first six months of the year, total nights spent decreased by 13.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding period in 2008. Nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 2.6 per cent, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 16.9 per cent. The average length of stay was 7.7 nights, the same as in 2008.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €356.8 million, a decrease of 11.8 per cent compared to last year's level. Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

The survey results indicate that per capita total expenditure was €732, up by 2.7 per cent when compared to 2008 levels

Tourists spend more in 2009

Valletta, 01/07/09 – There were 17.6 per cent fewer tourists in May than in the corresponding month of 2008. Put another way, 108,279 people travelled to the islands in May, down from 131,354.

As usual, the majority, or 98 per cent, came to Malta by air. National Statistics Office data also show that an estimated 90,337 were on holiday, the majority from EU member states. A further 11,164, visited for business reasons.

Meanwhile, total nights spent decreased by 18.2 per cent when compared to May 2008. Total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by two points, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 22.4 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay was 7.1 nights.

Tourist arrivals for the first five months of 2009, meantime, are estimated at 383,915, a decrease of 14.3 per cent over the corresponding period last year. “The change is mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, German and Spanish markets”, the NSO states.

On the other hand increases were recorded in the Italian, Libyan, and Swiss markets.

For the period under review, the majority of tourists chose non-package travel, while the demand for package trips decreased by 11.8 per cent. The largest proportion of arrivals was aged between 45 and 64, followed by those in the 25 to 44 age bracket. Together, these two categories made up 75 per cent of total tourists.

During the same period, total nights spent decreased by 15 per cent when compared to January-May 2008. Nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 4.8 per cent, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 17.9 per cent.

The average length of stay was 7.5 nights, a decrease of 0.1 nights over 2008.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €267.1 million, down by 12.8 per cent when compared to 2008. Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

Per capita total expenditure was estimated at €711, an increase of 2.3 per cent when compared to 2008 levels.

Tourism down 13% and income down 11 points

Valletta, 07/06/09 – In April there was a drop of 3.1 per cent in tourist arrivals, according to the National Statistics Office. An estimated 101,597 people visited the islands.

As always, the majority of tourists, 98.7 per cent, travelled to Malta by air. NSO data also shows that 82,382 tourists came to the islands on holiday. A further 11,534 visited the islands on business.

Total nights spent decreased by 8.3 per cent when compared to April last year.

The number of nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 8.9 per cent, while guest nights in hotels also decreased by 8.1 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay was seven nights, down by 0.4 nights when compared to April 2008.

For the first four months of 2009, meanwhile, an estimated 275,636 people visited Malta, a drop of 12.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. This change, says the NSO, is mainly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits from the British, German and Spanish markets. On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Libyan, Italian and Swiss markets.

During this period, total nights spent decreased by 13.7 per cent when compared to January to April 2008. Nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 5.8 per cent, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 16.2 per cent.

The average length of stay was 7.7 nights, a decrease of 0.1 nights over the estimates for 2008.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at €187.7 million, down by 10.7 per cent when compared to 2008. However, the per capita expenditure is estimated at €696, an increase of 3.3 per cent when compared to 2008 levels.

Income and arrivals down in Q1

Valletta, 01/05/09 – In March an estimated 71,153 tourists travelled to the islands, a drop of 21.4 per cent when compared to 12 months ago.

The majority of tourists, or 70,841, travelled to Malta by air – 20.5 per cent fewer than in March 2008, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

NSO data also shows that 77.1 per cent of tourists came on holiday, while a 13.2 per cent travelled to Malta on business.

Meanwhile, total nights spent dropped by 25.5 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2008. Total nights spent in private accommodation decreased by 8.4 per cent, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 29.7 per cent.

Total tourist expenditure in March was estimated at €44.1 million, down by 29.4 per cent when compared to March 2008.

In Q1 of 2009 174,039 tourists travelled to Malta, a decline of 17.8 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. In absolute terms, the change was mainly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits from the German, British and Spanish markets. On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Italian, Libyan and Russian markets (see Tourism departures 2009 by quarter).

As is normally the case, the majority of Malta’s tourists came from EU-member states. In Q1 87.7 per cent of tourists were from the EU. The majority also chose non-package travel, whilst the demand for package trips decreased by 24.4 per cent.

In the first three months of the year, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €112.6 million, down by 21.1 per cent when compared to 2008.

Per capita expenditure, meanwhile, was estimated at €660, a decrease of 3.5 per cent over the comparable period last year.

Fewer tourists in February, but longer stays

Valletta, 30/03/09 - The National Statistic Office’s Tourstat survey indicates that tourist departures in February were estimated at 51,244, a drop of 10.6 per cent over February 2008. The majority, or 51,099, came to Malta by air.

Results also show that 78.4 per cent of tourists came for a holiday, whilst 15.1 per cent visited the islands for business.

Total nights spent increased by 2.9 per cent over the comparative month last year. Specifically, total nights spent in private accommodations rose by 4.5 per cent, whilst guest nights in hotels increased by 2.5 per cent. Overall, the average length of stay in February was 9.4 nights, up by 1.3 nights when compared to a year ago.

In the first two months of 2009, an estimated 102,886 tourists visited the islands, a drop of 15.1 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. “In absolute terms, the change is mostly attributable to a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, German and Spanish markets. On the other hand an increase was recorded in the Italian market”, the NSO reports. A decrease in airline capacity was also a contributing factor in the drop in arrivals.

For the period under review, the majority of tourists chose non-package travel, while the demand for package trips decreased by 22.1 per cent.

The largest proportion of arrivals was aged between 45 and 64, followed by those in the 25 to 44 bracket. Together these two age groups made up 75.4 per cent of total tourists.

During the same period, total nights spent decreased by one per cent when compared to the first two months of 2008. Nights spent in private accommodation increased by 3.9 per cent, while guest nights in hotels dipped 2.7 points. With regard to hotel accommodation, guest nights in the five and three star categories increased respectively by 12.9 and 35.2 per cent, while the four star category registered a drop of 6.8 per cent. The average length of stay was 9.4 nights, an increase of 1.4 nights over 2008.

In the period under review, total tourist expenditure is estimated at €68.5 million, resulting in a decrease of 14.6 per cent when compared to the 2008 level. Decreases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

The NSO’s survey results indicate that the per capita expenditure was estimated at €680, an increase of 1.2 per cent over the period January and February 2008.

January arrivals down 19 per cent, but airlines partly to blame

Valletta, 26/02/09 – Tourist arrivals in January were estimated at 51,643, down 19.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, and practically at the same level of 2007, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reports (see Tourist departures 2009).

The decrease reflects primarily a drop in holidaymakers, mainly from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The majority of January’s visitors, 85.6 per cent, were from EU member states.

Meanwhile, total nights spent on the islands decreased by 4.6 per cent when compared to January last year. Year on year, total nights spent in private accommodation increased by 3.6 per cent, while guest nights in hotels decreased by 8.3 per cent.

In January, tourist expenditure totalled €34.3 million, down by 20.9 per cent over January 2008.

“This change was characterised by a reduction in all expenditure categories”, says the NSO.

Commenting on January’s arrival figures, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco says that there is no doubt that the international financial and economic crisis is leaving its effect on Malta’s tourism industry.

“The tourism performance we have witnessed over the last three months coincides with the recession which has gripped the economies of our core markets”.

De Marco added that January’s results are also due “in part to a drop in seat capacity by airlines this winter”.

According to the Official Airline Guide, there were 83,000 fewer flights offered by airlines within the EU this winter than in the winter of 2007/2008. Malta, de Marco says, suffered as well in this regard with the loss of services from Cologne, Stuttgart, Bremen, Valencia and Milan’s Malpensa - routes operated by Germanwings, Ryanair and Alitalia.