Tourist arrivals down 2.2% in November

In November, total arrivals and nights spent in collective accommodation stood at 82,611 and 443,405 respectively, down by 2.2 and 1.4 per cent respectively. The average length of stay edged down by 0.2 of a night, to 5.4 nights.

Non-resident arrivals stood at 70,473, up by 5.0 per cent when compared to November 2010. On the other hand, non-resident nights went down by 1.4 per cent to 415,849. The average length of stay stood at 5.9 nights and was 6.3 per cent lower than that registered in November 2010.

Results show that the majority of foreign residents chose to reside in 4-star hotels, and made up 49.7 per cent of total hotel arrivals. Hotels in this category were also the ones registering the highest occupancy levels.

Resident arrivals and nights amounted to 12,138 and 27,557 respectively. Both figures were lower when compared to those for November 2010, yet the average length of stay increased by 0.3 of a night, and stood at 2.3 nights.

The overall net occupancy rate in collective accommodation stood at 38.2 per cent, down by 0.6 percentage points vis-à-vis 2010. Occupancy levels reached their highest levels in 5-star and 4-star hotels (45.9 and 48.8 per cent respectively). The occupancy rate for non-residents dropped by 0.4 percentage points over the previous year, and stood at 36.0 per cent. The net use of bedplaces by Maltese residents remained the same when compared to 2010 levels, and was estimated at 2.4 per cent.

Regional Overview

Total arrivals in Malta numbered 78,560, up by 2.0 per cent over 2010. On the other hand, total nights amounted to 432,178, or 1.6 per cent less than the previous year. As a consequence, the average length of stay dropped by 0.2 of a night, and stood at 5.5 nights.

Total arrivals and nights in Gozo and Comino reached 4,051 and 11,228 respectively, both registering an increase. Similarly, the average length of stay edged up by 0.1 of a night, and stood at 2.8 nights.

During November, the occupancy rate in Malta stood at 39.0 per cent, down by 0.6 percentage point. This was caused by fewer foreign guests residing in 3-star hotels and in other collective accommodation establishments. In Gozo and Comino, the net use of bed-places reached 22.0 per cent. Non-resident occupancy rates registered increases in all collective accommodation establishments in Gozo and Comino.

Capacity

The total number of bed-places and bedrooms in the Maltese Islands amounted to 16,656 and 35,454 respectively. The number of bedrooms in Malta numbered 15,985, or 4.3 per cent less when compared to November 2010. Bed-places in Gozo and Comino amounted to 1,394 - or 3.9 per cent of the total.