August saw more Maltese opting for hotel breaks

August saw a larger number of Maltese remaining on the island and taking a break at a local hotel, according to statistics issued by the National Statistics Office.

Though the industry was dealt a huge blow this year due to the global recession, registering an 8.8 per cent drop in guest arrivals, five-star hotels actually witnessed a rise in occupancy.

Guest arrivals in hotels and other tourist establishments in August totalled 133,658 while total nights stood at 957,104, down by 8.8 per cent over August 2008, according to the NSO.

The overall occupancy rate in collective accommodation establishments amounted to 77.6 per cent, down by 8.6 percentage points when compared to July. In the month under review, the total arrivals in such establishments were recorded at 133,658, of whom 118,717, or 88.8 per cent, were not Maltese residents. The number of Maltese residents rose by 3,811 over the same period last year, bringing the tally up to 14,319 residents.

The total nights spent in the establishments under review amounted to 957,104, a drop of 8.8 per cent over the corresponding month in 2008, with the largest drops registered in the three- and four-star hotel categories.

The average length of stay in hotels was 7.2 nights, a drop of 0.4 nights when compared to August 2008.

Malta had a net supply of 38,057 beds, an increase of 1.3 per cent when compared to the same month last year. Year-on-year comparison showed the net use of bed-places in Malta went down by 8.3 percentage points to 78 per cent and the average length of stay stood at 7.4 nights.

Nights spent by non-residents accounted for 96.8 per cent of total guest-nights in Malta, with an average length of stay of 7.8 nights.

The overall net supply of bed-places in Gozo and Comino stood at 1,755 beds, which accounted for 4.4 per cent of the national bed-stock. The net use of bed-places in August was 67.6 per cent, a decrease of 16.8 percentage points over August 2008.

The average length of stay stood at four nights, a decline of 0.7 nights when compared to the corresponding month a year ago. Nights spent by non-residents accounted for 72.1 per cent of total guest nights in Gozo.