Tourist arrival figures go up in June

Total arrivals in collective accommodation establishments during August numbered 157,409, while total nights spent amounted to 884,686. The largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, accounting for 414,939 nights, or 46.9 per cent of the total.

The average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments went down from 5.9 nights in June 2013, to 5.6 nights during the month under review. The net use of bed-places stood at 72.1 per cent, up by 0.1 percentage points when compared to June 2013.

On a national level, there were 166 active accommodation establishments during June, with a net capacity of 18,564 bedrooms and 40,936 bed-places. On average each establishment had 2.2 beds per room.

Total arrivals and nights spent during the second quarter rose by 8.9 and 3.7 per cent over the corresponding period last year, to 457,189 and 2.5 million respectively. Nights spent by non-residents advanced by 3.6 per cent, whereas resident nights went up by 8.2 per cent. The occupancy rate for the quarter under review was estimated at 67.6 per cent, 3.0 percentage points more than last year.

Total arrivals during the first six months amounted to 719,697, an increase of 9.5 per cent over 2013. Total nights spent went up by 3.4 per cent, reaching 3.8 million. The net use of bed-places went up by 2.6 percentage points to 56.1 per cent.

“These positive figures bode well for the accommodation industry, particularly in Gozo,” Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said. “They also confirm the importance of the domestic market in Malta’s tourism sector, as well as the importance of working towards a higher quality of tourism.”

“The Government is committed to improving the tourism sector, both to enhance the Maltese economy and to create more high-quality jobs for the Maltese people.”

15% more people stayed at five-star Gozitan hotels last month than they did in June, 2013.

Also, 15% more foreign tourists stayed in Gozitan five-star hotels between April and June this year, when compared to the same period in 2013.

In this same second quarter of this year, the amount of nights that Maltese people spent in collective accommodations increased by around 8%. The amount of nights spent by Maltese people in Gozitan accommodations increased by around 18%.