Majority of tourists opt for four-star hotels

The National Statistics Office said that tourist arrivals totalled 129,913 in October, up by 3.4% over last year with the total nights increasing by 4.7% to 766,130.

In October, 4-star hotels accounted for 43% of arrivals in total collective accommodation establishments. The highest increase was registered in the 3-star hotel category, which advanced by 12.3%, reaching 25,063.

Guest nights also increased in almost all hotel categories, with the exception of 2-star hotels, which registered a drop in guest nights of 10%. At 5.9 nights, the overall average length of stay remained almost unchanged when compared to last year.

The net use of bed-places stood at 63.1%, at par with last year's levels. The highest increase in occupancy rate (3.7 percentage points) was registered in the 5-star hotel category and stood at 76%. An increase of 2 percentage points was noted in the 3-star hotel category, while the remaining categories registered declines.

Total arrivals in Malta amounted to 123,686 - 4.2% more than in 2011. Total nights stood at 737,388, while the average length of stay reached 6.0 nights. Increases in total arrivals were recorded in all types of collective accommodation establishments.

Similarly, the number of nights spent was higher in all hotel categories but decreased slightly in 'other collective accommodation'.

The occupancy rate was calculated at 63.6% - 0.7 percentage points higher than last year.

During the month under review, total arrivals and nights spent in Gozo and Comino numbered 6,227 and 28,743 respectively. The average length of stay went up by 0.5 of a night and was calculated at 4.6 nights. The net use of bed-places in Gozo and Comino decreased to 52.5% - 1.4 percentage points lower than in 2011. Increases in occupancy levels were observed in the 5-star hotel category, which reached 56.1%, and in 'other collective accommodation' establishments, which stood at 25.4%. A drop of 13.2 percentage points was noted in the occupancy rate of 3-star hotels.

On a national level, there were 158 establishments operating during October, 89.9% of which were in Malta. On average, each establishment had 2.2 beds in each room.

The total net number of bed-places in Malta stood at 37,410, while the net number of bedrooms in Gozo and Comino stood at 842. Overall, the number of bedrooms and bed-places available in the Maltese Islands increased when compared to the previous year.