Hotel stays shoot up in May

More than 126,000 people stayed in hotels and other tourist establishments during May, an increase of nearly 22 per cent over May 2009 arrival levels.

The National Statistics Office said non-residents stayed for an average of 5.9 nights while the stay of residents averaged two nights.

The occupancy rate across the Maltese islands stood at 58.3 per cent, a significant 9.6 per cent rise over last year.

A notable increase was recorded for occupancy levels in four-star hotels, the main factor behind the rise in the occupancy rate. Occupancy rates by region showed there was 59.1 per cent occupancy in Malta while Gozo and Comino accommodation establishments were 42.6 per full. Some 56.3 per cent of the occupancy figure represented non-residents, with the remainder made up of local residents.

Malta had 36,454 beds at the end of May, 1.5 per cent down on the same month in 2009. In contrast, beds in Gozo and Comino were up by 11.2 per cent, to stand at 1,939.