The number of tourists who came to Malta in the first 11 months of the year was estimated at 1,133,164, a decrease of nine per cent over the corresponding period last year, the National Office of Statistics said.

There was a decrease in holiday visits, mainly from the British, German and Scandinavian markets. On the other hand, increases were recorded in the Italian market.

The majority of inbound tourists opted for non-package travel.

During the same period, demand for both package and non-package trips decreased by 11.2 and 7.2 per cent respectively. Thus the non-package segment of tourists is more resilient.

Overall, the majority of tourists visiting Malta remain on the island for a period of at least seven nights. Total nights spent over these 11 months decreased by 9.2 per cent when compared to the previous year.

Guest nights in collective accommodation registered a drop of 12.5 per cent, while total nights in private accommodation remained relatively unchanged.

The average length of stay was calculated at 8.5 nights, at par with 2008 levels.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at e884.9 million, resulting in a decrease of 12.5 per cent in comparison to 2008.

The number of inbound tourists in November was estimated at 72,490. The majority or 60,463 of tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, while a further 9,069, came for business purposes.

During the same month, first time visitors increased by 3.6 per cent, while repeat tourists registered a drop of 9.3 per cent.

The total number of tourists residing in private accommodation in November increased to 14,994 while that in collective accommodation dropped to 57,496. Overall, 79.3 per cent of inbound tourists chose to reside in collective accommodation, while 20.7 per cent made use of private accommodation.

The average length of stay was calculated at 7.7 nights, down by 0.3 nights when compared to November 2008, and stood at 11 nights and 6.9 nights in private and collective accommodation establishments respectively.