The boom in tourism continued in September, with the sixth arrivals record in a row.

We have managed to produce a record tourism performance from April onwards

The Tourism Ministry put it down to action it has been taking to ensure the island is accessible to more potential visitors.

The number of visitors in September rose by six per cent to more than 163,000 when compared to the same month last year.

About 142,700 of them were holidaymakers and the rest visited on business.

Total nights in September reached nearly 1.6 million and the average length of stay was of 9.5 nights, up by 0.6.

In the nine months between January and September there was an increase of 16,640 tourists, or 1.5 per cent, over the same period last year, which was a record year.

Expenditure in the first nine months was estimated at €1.1 billion, up by eight per cent, the National Statistics Office said.

Welcoming these figures, the Tourism Ministry said they confirmed the industry’s positive performance. For six months in a row, the tourism indicators confirmed a record performance, it said.

Tourism Minister Mario de Marco recalled that towards the end of last year, the island was facing a bleak outlook, mainly due to the recession in its source markets and the increase in the price of oil.

Tour operators, including Malta International Airport and hoteliers, were similarly facing an uncertain 2012.

“Faced by these unfavourable conditions we took remedial action. From November, we intensified our efforts with tour operators and airlines to ensure Malta remains accessible and attractive to more and not fewer potential tourists, and our actions paid off,” Dr de Marco said.