Tourism to Malta last January increased by more than seven per cent when compared with the same month last year, according to official statistics.

There were 69,525 inbound tourist trips in January. Of these, 55,440 were on holiday, while 9,775 were business trips.

Most inbound tourists came from the EU, while tourists from non-EU countries increased by 45 per cent.

Estimated at €56.2 million, the total expenditure also increased by 9.4 per cent over January 2013.

The total number of nights spent in Malta went up by 10.6 per cent, reaching 571,745.

Most guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments, while the number of tourists in private accommodation rose by nearly 40 per cent.

The Tourism Minister welcomed the figures, noting that it was the largest increase in January since 2011.

They followed increases in tourists registered every month since September.