Tourist arrivals last month topped last year’s figures for March by 22.3%, reaching a total of 141,266, according to the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said 105,080 came on holiday and 20,017 for business. Arrivals from EU states increased by 23.4% to 123,063.

The majority of arrivals were aged between 45 and 64, closely followed by those in the 25-44 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 6.8 per cent and expenditure by 11.8 per cent.

Inbound tourist trips from January to March reached 348,890, an increase of 24% over the same period last year. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 11.1%, reaching nearly 2.3 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €237.2 million, 13.3% higher than that recorded for 2016. Total expenditure per capita stood at €680, a decrease of 8.6% when compared to 2016.