In February, total arrivals and guest nights spent in collective accommodation establishments stood at 74,560 and 388,924 respectively, down by 7.0% and 5.5% respectively when compared to last year.
The average length of stay during February was calculated at 5.2 nights, practically unchanged compared to 2011. At the same time, total arrivals dropped by 7.0%, whereas nights declined by 5.5%. This year’s decline may be in part attributable to the surge in arrivals as a result of the unrest in Libya in February 2011. Decreases in hotel arrivals were noted in almost all hotel categories, with the exception of 2-star hotels. On the other hand, 4-star hotels were the only category to register an increase in guest nights over last year.
The net use of bed-places in collective accommodation stood at 36.5%, down by 1.5 percentage points when compared to 2011. The occupancy rate in hotel accommodation stood at 40.4%, almost unchanged when compared to the previous year. On the other hand, occupancy levels in ‘other collective accommodation’ dropped by 9.2 percentage points, reaching 17.2%.
Regional breakdown
Total arrivals in mainland Malta amounted to 70,135 - 8.6% fewer than in 2011. Total nights numbered 378,412, with an average length of stay of 5.4 nights. The occupancy rate was 1.7 percentage points lower, and stood at 37.2%. Total arrivals in Gozo and Comino amounted to 4,425 (up by 27.4%), whereas total nights reached 10,512. Despite these increases, the average length of stay in Gozo remained unchanged at 2.4 nights. The net use of bed-places was calculated at 22.1%.
Capacity
The overall net supply of bedrooms across the Maltese Islands stood at 17,813, an average of 2.1 beds per room. In Malta, the number of bed-places amounted to 36,379, whereas in Gozo this stood at 1,699. On a national level, there were 157 establishments - 89.8% of which were in Malta.