Tourists arriving in Malta last May numbered 127,214, up by 17.5 per cent when compared to the same period year, according to Tourstat data published this morning by the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said that total nights spent at Malta stood at 882,296.

The majority of tourists visiting Malta were on holiday, yet business tourists registered a significant increase.

As in previous months, most inbound tourists came from EU Member States, while tourists from non-EU countries also registered a rise.

During the reference month, total nights went up by 15 per cent, while the average length of stay stood at 6.9 nights, 0.2 nights less when compared to last year.

Both private and collective accommodation registered increases.

There were 414,215 tourists between January and May, eight per cent more than in the corresponding period in 2009.

Overall, this change is mostly attributed to a growth in holiday visits, mainly from the Italian, Spanish and Scandinavian markets. The German and Swiss markets experienced decreases.

Although the majority of tourists opted for non-package travel, an increase in package trips was also registered. Furthermore, while most tourists visited Malta for the first time this year, an increase in repeat visits was also noted.

On a gender basis, male tourists exceeded female ones, accounting for 53 per cent of the total.

The majority of tourists were in the 45-64 age bracket, followed by those aged between 25 and 44. These two groups made up 71 per cent of total inbound tourists.

Between January and May, total nights spent increased by nine per cent, reaching 3 million nights.

Guest nights in collective and private accommodation increased by 8 per cent.

The average length of stay stood at 7.5 nights, at par with 2009 levels.

During the period under review, total tourist expenditure was estimated at €311 million, implying a rise of 15 per cent over 2009. Increases were recorded throughout all expenditure categories.

Per capita total expenditure was estimated at €763, six per cent higher in comparison with last year.