Inbound tourism was up by a whopping 17 per cent in November when compared to the same month in 2016, new figures released on Friday show. 

A total of 167,101 people visited Malta during the month, with 139,230 of those coming on holiday and 15,297 on business. 

In total, tourists spent an estimated €120.3 million in November 2017 - an 18.3 per cent increase over the same month in 2016.

Most tourists were aged between 45 and 64 (38.3 per cent), followed by the 25 to 44 age bracket (36.5 per cent). 

First-time visitors to Malta were up by 27.4 per cent for the month, though repeat tourists were down by 7.2 per cent when compared to the same period 12 months ago. 

Total nights spent in Malta were up by 7.1 per cent to reach more than 1 million nights. Collective accommodation establishments continued to take the lion's share of business (66.9 per cent), with total nights in private accommodation down by 2 per cent. 

January to November

Over the first 11 months of 2017, tourism to Malta was up by 15.7 per cent, with total nights up by 10 per cent to stretch past 15.7 million. 

Tourists spent around €1.9 billion during that 11-month period, an increase of 13.5 per cent when compared to 2016. 

The average tourist spent €864 while in Malta - a 1.8 per cent decrease when compared to 2016.