Hotel occupancy rate in April drops by 6.4% despite Easter

Hotel occupancy in April went down by 6.4 percent this year compared to April 2008, even though Easter was in April this year and in March last year.

Figures issued today by the NSO show that the overall occupancy rate in collective accommodation establishments went down by 6.4 percentage points to48.0 percent. In April 2009, total arrivals in collective accommodation establishments reached 98,498 of which 88,333 or 89.7 percent were non-resident arrivals.

Total nights spent in collective accommodation establishments reached 547,440, a decrease of 9.9 percent over the corresponding month in 2008, with the largest drops being registered in the 4-star and 3-star hotel categories The average length of stay stood at 5.6 nights.

The bedstock in April was 37,063 beds, an increase of 1.2 percent in Malta when compared to April 2008. In Gozo and Comino, the overall supply of bedplaces stood at 1,758 beds, an increase of 2.7 per cent over the comparable month a year ag.