Tourist arrivals up 21% in first 8 months – NSO

Inbound tourists for the first eight months of 2024 amounted to 2,405,568, an increase of 21.1 per cent over the same period in 2023, the NSO said Thursday. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 13.4 per cent, almost reaching 15.4 million nights.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €2.2 billion, 23.3 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2023. Total expenditure per capita increased to €904 from €888 for the corresponding period in 2023.

The total number of tourists visiting Gozo and Comino, comprising both same-day and overnight visitors, totalled 1,409,354, or 58.6 percent of all inbound tourists.

August

Total inbound tourists for August 2024 were estimated at 429,111 an increase of 15.5 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2023.

During the month under review, a total of 409,536 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, and 9,178 tourists came for business purposes. The largest share of inbound tourists were aged between 0 and 24 (41.5 per cent), followed by the 25-44 age bracket (33.3 per cent). Italian, British, and French residents made up 53.6 per cent of total inbound tourists.

Total nights spent went up by 9.9 per cent when compared to August 2023, reaching almost 3.2 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (86.1 per cent) was spent in rented accommodation establishments. The average length of stay of total inbound tourists stood at 7.4 nights.

Total tourist expenditure surpassed €480.5 million, an increase of 22.1 per cent over the corresponding month in 2023. The average expenditure per night was estimated at €150.8.

The number of tourists visiting Gozo and Comino, including both same-day and overnight visitors, totalled 299,511, or 69.8 per cent of total inbound tourists.