Total nights spent in collective accommodation establishments last December were recorded at 375,939, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the corresponding month in 2005. Year-on-year, the average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments declined by 0.9 nights to stand at 5.2 nights, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.

Accounting for 95.5 per cent of the national bed-stock, the overall supply of bed-places in the Malta region stood at 37,708 beds, a decrease of 2 per cent when compared to the previous year. On an annual basis, the net use of bed-places in the Malta region went up by 3.2 percentage points to 34.3 per cent in December 2006. Year-on-year, the average length of stay decreased by 1.1 nights to stand at 5.3 nights.

In Gozo and Comino, the overall supply of bed-places stood at 1,786 beds, an increase of 8.1 per cent over the comparable month a year earlier. The net use of bed-places in December was 18.2 per cent, an increase of 2.1 percentage points over the same month in 2005. The average length of stay was 2.6 nights, down by 0.1 nights when compared to December 2005.

In December, bed-place occupancy in collective accommodation establishments went up by 3.1 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2005.

The overall occupancy rate in collective accommodation establishments went up by 3.1 per cent in December 2006 when compared to the same month a year earlier, to stand at 33.7 per cent.