In March 2007, the total number of nights spent in collective accommodation establishments by tourists was recorded at 523,289, an increase of 11 per cent over the corresponding month in 2006. Year-on-year, the National Statistics Office said, the average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments increased by 0.3 nights to six nights.

Regional overview

Accounting for 95.8 per cent of the national bed-stock, the overall supply of bed-places in the Malta region stood at 36,988 beds, a fall of 3.5 per cent compared to the previous year.

On an annual basis, the net use of bed places in the Malta region rose by 6.4 percentage points to 49.8 per cent. Year-on-year, the average length of stay rose by 0.4 nights to 6.2 nights. Nights spent by non-residents accounted for 95 per cent of the total.

In the Gozo and Comino region, the overall supply of bed places stood at 1,628 beds, a reduction of 4.3 per cent over the same month last year.

The net use of bed-places in March was 35.5 per cent, an increase of 7.9 percentage points over the same month in 2006. The average length of stay was 2.7 nights, up by 0.4 nights, compared to March last year. Nights spent by non-residents accounted for 56.7 per cent of the total.

Occupancy trends

The overall occupancy rate in collective accommodation establishments (net use) went up by 6.3 percentage points in March 2007, compared to the same month in the previous year, to stand at 49.2 per cent.