Occupancy levels in hotels and other establishments fell 15.7 percentage points in May when compared to the corresponding month last year to stand at 48.5 percent, the NSO said today.

In May 2009, the total arrivals reached 103,141.

Total nights spent in collective accommodation establishments were recorded at 582,733, a decrease of 22.6 per cent 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 overall supply of bed-places in Malta stood at 37,319 beds, an increase of 1.4 percent when compared to May 2008. On an annual basis, the net use of bed-places in Malta went down by 15.6 percentage points to 49.1 percent. The average length of stay stood at 5.8 nights.

In Gozo and Comino, the overall supply of bed-places stood at 1,758 beds, an increase of 2.3 percent
over the comparable month a year ago. The net use of bed-places in May was 35.3 percent, a decrease of 18.8 percentage points over the comparative month in 2008.

The average length of stay stood at 3.2 nights, a decrease of 0.6 nights when compared to May 2008.