Arrivals in hotels in August totalled 148,019, up by 4.3 per cent over last year, the NSO said today.

Arrivals increased in all categories, with the exception of 3-star hotels, which declined by 2.3 per cent.

The 5-star category registered the highest increases among hotel arrivals (8.9 per cent) and totalled 39,02.

Three-star hotels saw a decline of 1.8 per cent. At 6.9 nights, the overall average length of stay remained almost unchanged when compared to the previous year.
The net use of bed-places stood at 82.9 per cent - an increase of nearly 1 percentage point when compared to August 2011.

Total arrivals in Malta amounted to 138,075 - 4.0 per cent more than in 2011. Total nights stood at 978,384, with an average length of stay of 7.1 nights. Decreases in arrivals and nights were recorded only for 3-star hotels. The occupancy rate was calculated at 83.2 per cent - 0.5 per cent higher than last year.

For the month under review, total arrivals and nights in Gozo and Comino numbered 9,943 and 41,825 respectively. The average length of stay went up by 0.3 of a night and was calculated at 4.2 nights. The net use of bed-places in Gozo and Comino rose to 76.8 per cent - 9.3 percentage points more than in 2011. Almost all hotel categories and other collective accommodation establishments registered substantial increases in the occupancy rate.

On a national level, there were 157 establishments operating during the month, 89.8 per cent of which were in Malta. On average, each establishment had 2.2 beds per room. The total number of hotel bedrooms in Malta stood at 17,259 - down by 132 rooms when compared to 2011. The net number of bed-places in Gozo and Comino stood at 1,756.