July tourism numbers down 84% – NSO

Total inbound visitors for July were estimated at 48,743, a decrease of 84.0 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2019, the NSO said today.

The airport was reopened to traffic as from 1 July for several countries, and on 15 July to all other destinations. But it is clear that the Covid-19 pandemic is keeping many people from travelling.

During the month under review, a total of 44,557 inbound tourist trips were undertaken for holiday purposes, while a further 2,965 were made for business purposes. Most inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 years (41.9 per cent), followed by those within the 0-24 age bracket (30.8 per cent). Inbound tourists coming from Italy were the most popular, with a share of 25.6 per cent of the total inbound tourists. Total nights spent went down by 75.3 per cent when compared to July 2019, amounting to 596,139 nights. The largest share of guest nights (47.3 per cent) was spent in non-rented accommodation establishments. When compared to July 2019, the average length of stay increased by 4.3 nights to stand at 12.2 nights. It should be kept in mind that part of this increase is attributable to visitors who had to lengthen their stay in this country due to Covid-19 restrictions.