173,848 Locals Went On Holiday In The Past 3 Months

Nov 14 2023

In the third quarter of 2023, the total number of outbound tourists reached an estimated 248,094, marking a substantial 28.3% increase compared to the same quarter in 2022. These tourists collectively spent 1,817,893 nights abroad.

Holiday purposes accounted for the majority of outbound trips, with 173,848 journeys, followed by 41,342 trips for visiting friends and relatives. The age group between 25 and 44 years comprised the largest segment of outbound tourists at 44.2%, followed by those aged 45-64 years at 27.6%.

Outbound travel towards both EU and non-EU countries saw significant growth, with increases of 26.5% and 35.1%, respectively, compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022. Italy retained its position as the most favoured destination, capturing 38.9% of the total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists surged by 30.5%, exceeding 1.8 million nights, with 57.7% of guest nights occurring in rented accommodation establishments. The average length of stay for outbound tourists was 7.3 nights.

The estimated expenditure by outbound tourists during July to September witnessed a notable uptick of 37.1%, reaching €241.4 million, equivalent to an average expenditure of €973 per capita.

For the first three quarters of 2023, the total outbound tourist trips rose by 41.3%, totalling 595,717, while total nights spent increased by 38.3%, surpassing 4.1 million nights. Resident tourists’ overall estimated expenditure stood at €538.7 million, marking a substantial 50.1% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

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47 Year Old Man Dies After Being Hit By Car In Żejtun

Nov 14 2023

A 47 year old man resident of Qrendi sadly lost his life after being involved in a traffic accident at around 0745hrs of this morning in Triq Tal-Barrani, Żejtun.

Preliminary investigations showed that the victim had been hit by a Toyota Vitz driven by a 26 year old man resident of Naxxar.

The victim was given preliminary medical aid on site before being transported to Mater Dei and certified as having suffered serious injuries.

Unfortunately, the victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police investigations are ongoing as a magisterial inquiry opens into the case.

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Alex Borg Urges Police Commissioner To Act On Gozo Crime

Nov 14 2023

Taking to social media, Nationalist MP Alex Borg reiterated his appeal for authorities and the police force to take proper and further action when it comes to crime in Gozo.

Sharing images of a broken-into car as well as bloody pavements following what were reportedly violent altercations.

‘We are far from the utopia of a Gozo of villages’, wrote Alex Borg on Facebook. He critiqued police commissioner Angelo Gafà for only providing statistics on robberies and not criminal reports.

Borg invited the police commissioner to visit Marsalfron and Xlendi along with him and to listen to what the residents there have to say.

‘Let them convince you what their worries are as they did to me whilst forcing you to understand that you have a twisted perception of reality coming from sitting behind a desk.’

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Female Frogs Fake Death To Avoid Unwanted Advances

Nov 14 2023

Researchers have discovered that certain frogs employ a unique strategy to avoid unwanted male attention – they fake their own death.

This revelation provides new insights into the behaviour of the European common frog, challenging the notion that females merely endure male competition for mates, often resulting in fatal situations where multiple males cling to a single female.

Dr. Carolin Dittrich, the lead author from the Natural History Museum of Berlin, explained that previous beliefs suggested females were unable to choose or defend themselves against male coercion. However, the study challenges this assumption, revealing that females in dense breeding aggregations are not passive participants.

In their study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers placed each male frog in a box with two females of different sizes and recorded mating behaviour.

Results from 54 females experiencing male clutches showed that 83% of them attempted to rotate their bodies. Additionally, 48% emitted release calls while rotating, and 33% exhibited tonic immobility – a pose resembling playing dead.

The researchers propose that tonic immobility may be a stress response, more common in smaller, younger females due to increased stress with less reproductive experience. These tactics, observed more frequently in smaller females, allowed some to escape male clutches, demonstrating mate avoidance behaviours and resulting in the escape of 25 females.

While acknowledging the study’s limitations, including the need for a larger sample size, the researchers suggest that these behaviours may serve multiple purposes, such as testing the male’s strength and endurance.

#MaltaDaily