Tourist arrivals drops by 5.5% in March

In March, the total arrivals and nights spent by tourists in collective accommodation dropped by 5.5% and 10.1% respectively. The total arrivals and nights spent during the first quarter of 2012 also declined compared to 2011.

The total guest nights in collective accommodation amounted to 483,106, with an average length of stay of 4.9 nights. Nights spent in all hotel categories and in other collective accommodation establishments registered drops over last year.

 Similarly, total arrivals also registered decreases, except for 4-star hotels, where a marginal increase was noted. Total arrivals in hotel accommodation totalled 94,669. More than half were recorded in 4-star hotels.

The net use of bed-places in collective accommodation stood at 41.5%, down by 3.5 percentage points when compared to 2011. The occupancy rate in hotel accommodation and in ‘other collective accommodation’ stood at 44.6% and 24.4% respectively. All collective accommodation establishments recorded drops over last year.

On a national level, the net number of bedrooms and bed-places stood at 16,892 and 35,956 respectively. Both figures declined when compared to last year. In March, 146 establishments were active, of which 89.7% were in Malta.

The total arrivals for the first quarter amounted to 231,932, down by 5.4% when compared to 2011. Non-resident arrivals declined in all collective accommodation categories and totalled 187,268. Resident arrivals reached 44,664, 9.2% more than 2011.

Total nights stood at 1,223,253, a drop of 5.2% over last year. The average length of stay was calculated at 5.3 nights, unchanged when compared to the first quarter of 2011. Total nights spent by non-residents stood at 1,130,934, 6.2% less than the previous year. In contrast, resident nights increased by 9.2%, most of which were spent in 4-star hotels.

The occupancy rate in the first quarter was estimated at 35.9% - 1.3 percentage points lower than last year. 4-star hotels registered marginal increases, while all other hotel categories saw declines that ranged from 1.7 percentage points for 2-star hotels to 4.7 percentage points for 5-star establishments.

From a regional perspective, arrivals in Malta totalled 219,346, down by 6.1% over last year. This is mainly attributable to non-resident arrivals, which dropped by 8.7%.

Resident arrivals in collective accommodation moved in an opposite direction, increasing by 9.7% over last year. Nights spent by residents in Malta went up by 10.9%, whereas non-resident nights fell by 6.6%.

Both resident and non-resident arrivals in Gozo and Comino recorded increases, standing at 8,691 and 3,895 respectively. Nights spent by non-residents advanced 25.9%, while resident nights registered marginal increases.