Tourist arrivals in December reached 72,568, 8.9 per cent more than in the same month the previous year.

A total 60,728 tourists came on holiday, 6,818 for business reasons. Tourists from EU states increased by 10.5 per cent to 61,346. The largest proportion were aged between 25 and 44.

Total nights spent in Malta went up by 4.5 per cent, amounting to 611,353 nights. Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €53.7 million, an increase of four per cent.

Arrivals between January and December amounted to 1,791,422, an increase of six per cent over the 2014. Total nights went up by 5.1 per cent, surpassing 14.2 million nights and total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1,643.9 million, up 7.5 per cent.

Total expenditure per capita stood at €918, an increase of 1.4 per cent.