The number of tourist arrivals between January and June has gone up by nearly 10 per cent, as the sector continues to grow.

The total was 719,697 – an increase of 9.5 per cent over the same six months in 2013.

Total nights went up by 3.4 per cent, reaching 3.8 million.

In June itself, total arrivals and nights spent advanced by 5.4 and 0.3 per cent respectively compared to the corresponding month last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

Total arrivals in accommodation establishments numbered 157,409 while total nights spent were 884,686. Four-star hotels accounted for nearly half of those nights.