The number of inbound visitors in July stood at 47,743, a decline of 84 percent compared to the same month in 2019. Figures by the National Statistics Office shows that nine in every ten visitors arrived for leisure purposes while the rest were mainly on business trips.
Covid-19 restrictions had a direct impact on the average length of stay which increased by 4.3 nights from last year to reach 12.2 nights. At the same time, however, total nights spent dropped by 75 percent over the same period, with slightly more than 596,000.
A total 314,400 nights were spent in rented accommodation, including hotels, guesthouses, and holiday apartments. Non-rented accommodation accounted for 281,738 nights.
Tourism expenditure in July was estimated at €33.8 million, a sharp decrease of 88 percent from last year, with visitors spending a total €16.5 million outside costs for air fares and accommodation. Visitors on package holidays spent a total €4.8 million whereas those travelling on non-packaging holidays spent €13 million on air fares and accommodation.
Incoming tourists aged between 25 and 44 registered the biggest drop from July 2019, falling by 82.5 percent. The age group, however, still contributed the highest share visitors, with 20,426 arrivals. Tourists aged 65 and over registered the smallest age group, with 1,849 visitors.
The EU remained the biggest market, with nearly 42,000 visitors, while just over 7,000 tourists arrived from non-EU countries which include the UK. Italy was the country of origin with the highest arrivals, amounting to 12,467, followed by Germany (6,687), France (5,222) and Poland (4,711). There were 4,202 arrivals from the UK.
Tourists arriving from Germany spent an average of €755 per capita, the highest rate followed by UK visitors at an estimated €749. Per capita expenditure by visitors from France was €718 while incoming tourists from Poland and Italy spent an average of €574 and €572, respectively.
Inbound trips for the first seven months this year dipped by 72 percent from the same period last year, registering 418,959 arrivals. Total expenditure by tourists stood at €258.4 million, down 78 percent from 2019, while visitor spend fell by a fifth to reach €617 per capita.
