News

Malta's tourism industry saw strong growth in its number of incoming and outgoing visitors in January, according to reports.

Figures released by the National Statistics Office show that the sector grew by 23.4% last month compared to January 2007.

While a decline was recorded in visitors from some countries, the overall rise in figures was attributed to demand from Germany, Spain and France.

The number of tourists departing the Mediterranean country in January reached 63,850, the Times of Malta reports.

A 14% year-on-year increase was recorded in the total number of nights spent by visitors to Malta in January, while the average length of stay was calculated at eight nights, slightly down on last year.

The figures represent a strong start to 2008, indicating that this year could follow the trend of 2007, when the Malta tourism industry grew by 10% and achieved record overall figures.

Malta and Cyprus became the newest members of the eurozone when they adopted the single European currency at the beginning of this year.

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