It was revealed that in 2021, well over 300,000 outbound flights were registered by Maltese, showing a significant increase over 2020, the year the pandemic kicked off.
This means that there was a 54.2% increase over 2020, with travelling to Italy taking the lead in terms of spots Maltese preferred to visit. This also shows how the majority of Maltese preferred European countries.
236,132 travelled to EU destinations, while 66,935 travelled to non-EU locations. The main reasons why Maltese traveled during 2021 were to take a holiday following a year of COVID-19 restrictions (despite these extending into the following years) but also to work.
Educational reasons were also touted as reasons for travel as many wanted to continue their studies abroad. There were also health reasons which required foreign medical aid.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that 157,158 used low-cost airlines, whereas 121,660 used other airlines. With 24,249 using sea transport, total nights spent by outbound tourists went up by 71.3%, surpassing 2.8 million nights.
The total expenditure by outbound tourists between October and December reached up to €101.4 million, equivalent to an average of €823 per person. Most tourists travelling during the fourth quarter were aged between 25 and 44.
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