More beds but lower occupancy

The overall occupancy rate in collective accommodation establishments went down by 14.1 percentage points in June, when compared to the same month last year.

The National Statistics Office said that total arrivals in collective accommodation establishments were recorded at 108,903 of which 94,976, or 87.2 percent, were non-residents.

Total nights spent in collective accommodation establishments were recorded at 664,903, a decrease of 18.7 percent, compared to June last year, with the biggest drops being registered in the four and three star hotel categories.

The average length of stay stood at 6.1 nights.

Accounting for 95.5 percent of the national bed-stock, the overall supply of beds in Malta stood at 37,332 beds, an increase of 0.9 percent when compared to June 2008.

On an annual basis, the net use of beds in Malta went down by 14 percentage points to 57.3 percent. The average length of stay stood at 6.2 nights. Nights spent by non-residents accounted for 96.1 percent of total guest-nights in Malta, with an average length of stay of 6.7 nights.

In Gozo and Comino, the overall supply of bed-places stood at 1,752 beds, an increase of two percent over the comparable month a year ago. The net use of bed-places in June was 53.4 percent, a decrease of 14.5 percentage points over June 2008.

The average length of stay stood at 4.2 nights, a decrease of 0.2 nights when compared to June 2008. Nights spent by non residents accounted for 80.1 percent of total guest-nights in Gozo.