Total arrivals and nights spent in hotels, guest houses, hostels and tourist villages, in July advanced by 8.3 and 4.3 per cent, respectively, when compared to the same month last year.

The National Statistics Office said total arrivals in such establishments during the month under review reached 166,300, while total nights spent amounted to 1.1 million.

All hotel categories recorded increases in total nights spent, with the largest share reported in 4-star hotels, accounting for 493,855 nights, or 45.5 per cent of the total.

The average length of stay went down from 6.8 nights in July last year to 6.5 in July this year. The net use of bed-places stood at 84.8 per cent, up by three percentage points when compared to the same month last year.

Total arrivals during the first seven months amounted to 881,892, an increase of 8.8 per cent over 2013. Total nights spent went up by 3.6 per cent, reaching 4.9 million. The net use of bed-places went up by 2.7 percentage points to 60.6 per cent.

The figures were welcomed by Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis.