Statistics for January - June 2006-Visitor arrivals up by 11% |25 August 2006

For the month of June alone, 8,964 visitors arrived in the country, representing an increase of 14% over the figure for June 2005, according to the August 2006 Statistical Bulletin published by the National Statistics Bureau.

According to the bulletin, the June 2006 figure is 11% higher than the average for the same month of the last five years.

The bulletin reveals that 90% of visitors during the first six months of 2006 were on holiday, while 5% were on business or combining business with a holiday and 3% were on transit.

From January to June 2006, the number of visitors coming from Europe recorded an increase of 12% above the 2005 level. Increases above the 2005 level were recorded in visitor arrivals from France (3%), Germany (22%), Italy (31%), Switzerland (6%), Austria (46%), Belgium and Luxembourg (21%), Netherlands (35%), Scandinavia (25%), Spain and Portugal (29%), and CIS (17%).

Meanwhile visitors from the UK and Eire decreased by 11% compared to 2005.

During the first six months of 2006 the number of visitors from Africa and Asia increased by 6% and 9% respectively compared to the same period last year, whereas visitors from Oceania decreased by 8% and America by 6%.

The five leading markets to date are France (13,794), Italy (10,526), Germany (9,825), UK and Eire (6,771) and CIS (2,893).