The number of guest nights in collective accommodation decreased slightly from the same period last year, by 1.2%, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said today.

The reason given for this is that more people have opted for private accommodation, accessed from online services, as well as continually decreasing average length of stay. It was said however that the people opting for private accommodation are the ones who would book at a 3-star hotel rather than 5-star ones. It was also revealed that the number of tourist arrivals continued to increase from the previous quarter.

Notwithstanding the slight decrease in collective accommodation, all hotel sectors reported marginal increases in occupancy. Rates have continued to increase considerably, especially in 5-star accommodation.

All sectors reported between 7% and 8% increase in revenue per available room. All of the hotel sectors however, reported increases in their overall cost base, particularly with regard to direct costs per available room.

Private accommodation has stemmed from technology that is changing the way in which we deal with accommodation said president of MHRA Mr Tony Zahra in a speech made this afternoon. He stated that the MHRA does not believe in putting pressure on government to ban private accommodation via online services; however they do feel that these services should be regulated, as this is translating into an uneven playing field for collective accommodation such as hotels and boutiques. He went on to say that those not in conformity with accommodation regulations should be given a stipulated amount of time to bring themselves in line, and those that do not conform should be required to exit the market.

Mr Zahra spoke of promoting Malta’s “uniqueness and culture” in the face of competition from other countries. He described Malta’s heritage as the country’s “unique selling point.”

Sustainability was also a key area discussed by Mr Zahra, where it was stated that in order for the industry to be sustainable there must be collective improvement of efficiency in the energy sector. He said that the MHRA is committed towards providing a system that will help hotels and restaurants reduce energy costs through investment in energy saving equipment. Intelligent lighting, energy saving bulbs, heat pumps, space heating and space cooling were all mentioned as areas that can help improving energy efficiency. He went on to say that the MHRA wants to provide incentives for its members to become more energy efficient, but highlighted that this will not be in the form of tax credits. Mr Zahra stated that over the past months MHRA has been working closely with the Ministry for Energy and Enemalta in particular, to establish future steps that could be taken in this regard. The MHRA has called upon Government to be of concrete and direct assistance to the hospitality sector in investing in ways on improving the efficiency of energy efficiency in a sustainable manner.

Mr Zahra also spoke of the current administration having “vision,” and that they are keeping long term development goals in mind rather than present growth prospects.

In conclusion Mr Zahra stated that “we need to aim higher and think long term and have a clear vision of how the energy sector can support the tourism sector in retaining its competitive edge over its competitors in the international markets”