Total arrivals in collective accommodation establishments in September stood at 140,480, an increase of 6.3 per cent when compared to last year. Total nights reached 818,505, a marginal increase over last year. These figures were released by the National Statistics Office today.

Non-resident arrivals and nights were estimated at 129,845 and 792,129 respectively, with an average length of stay of 6.1 nights. The largest increase in arrivals was registered among the 4-star hotels, while 2-star hotels registered declines. Similar changes were reported in the number of nights.

Resident arrivals went down by 16.5 per cent and stood at 10,635. The average length of stay among residents dropped by 0.6 of a night when compared to last year, while the number of resident nights stood at 26,376.

The net occupancy rate in collective accommodation stood at 70.5, slightly higher than the corresponding month last year. The highest occupancy rate was recorded in the 4-star hotel category (84.2 per cent), and was closely followed by that recorded in 5-star hotels (77.6 per cent). The net use of bed places by non-residents went up by 1.5 percentage points to 68.2 per cent, while the occupancy rate in guesthouses went up by 6.9 percentage points – the highest recorded increase. The net use of bed-places by Maltese residents dropped by 1.1 percentage points and stood at 2.3 per cent.

Total arrivals in Malta amounted to 132,672, while total nights numbered 783,065. Although both figures went up over last year, the average length of stay decreased by 0.4 of a night to 5.9 nights. Total arrivals in Gozo and Comino went down by 2.2 per cent and stood at 7,808, while the total number of nights advanced by 8.1 per cent to 35,440.

During September, the occupancy rate in Malta increased by 0.2 percentage points and stood at 70.5 per cent. A mark-up of 4.3 percentage points was also registered in the occupancy rate for Gozo and Comino, which stood at 69.0 per cent. This increase was caused by a substantial rise in the occupancy rate for non-residents in all accommodation categories.

On a national basis, the total number of bed places amounted to 38,698, up by 75 beds over 2010. The number of bedrooms increased as well and stood at 18,215, of which the vast majority were in Malta (17,391). Bed places in Gozo and Comino amounted to 1,711, whereas the number of bedrooms reached 824. The average number of beds per room in the Maltese Islands was estimated at 2.1.

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