Tourist arrivals last month reached 133,771, an increase of 8.3 per cent over April last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said yesterday that 108,359 tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes. A significant increase of 55 per cent was registered among business tourists. First-time visitors increased by five per cent over 2012.

Tourism from EU member states increased by nine per cent, representing 88 per cent of tourists. Tourists from outside the EU decreased slightly.

The UK remained the main market for inbound tourism, with a share of 29 per cent. The Italian market placed second with 16 per cent. Both markets registered increases of five and 10 per cent respectively.

The French and German markets remained practically unchanged compared to last year.

Total nights spent were up by six per cent, reaching 878,959. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments. However, in percentage terms, a substantial increase was noted in the number of tourists residing in private accommodation.

The average length of stay stood at 6.6 nights, down by 0.2 when compared to April 2012. Total expenditure by tourists was estimated at €101.6 million, up by six per cent over the corresponding month last year.

The total number of tourists who visited Malta between January and April reached 351,272, an increase of seven per cent over the comparable period in 2012.