Tourist departures in October are estimated at 139,932, implying a rise of 20.2 per cent over the same month last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

Primarily, the increase reflects a rise in holiday-makers mostly from the British, German and Dutch markets.

Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech welcomed the data saying that not only was this the best October ever in the country's tourism history but the figures for the first 10 months of the year were also the best ever.

These positive results, he said, were due to decisions taken at the right time in consultation with all the stakeholders in the industry. The introduction of low-cost airlines had greatly contributed to these developments.

The chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Sam Mifsud, said that the level of growth was very encouraging. "It vindicates all the hard work carried out by the MTA, the ministry and all the industry stakeholders over the past year and also shows that many of the decisions taken with regard to our marketing efforts are paying off and getting the desired results".

So far, 2007 has shown month-on-month increases over the same periods in the previous year, with October being the best month to date. "I trust that this growth will be sustained over the coming months and state categorically that the MTA will continue to do its utmost, in every respect, to ensure an even brighter future for the Maltese tourism industry," Mr Mifsud added.

"It is this spirit of continued cooperation and dedication shown by everyone in the tourism industry that has made and will continue to make a difference. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of work to be done. The international tourism sector is extremely volatile and requires constant monitoring and plenty of effort to deal with every new challenge if one wants to remain relevant and competitive. We still have a relatively long road ahead but, with the continued support of all concerned, plenty of hard work and constant cooperation, I am convinced... we will get there," he said.

Total nights spent increased by 23.7 per cent when compared to the same month last year. Year on year, total nights spent in private and collective accommodation rose by 48.7 and 15.4 per cent respectively. Overall, the average length of stay is calculated at 8.6 nights, longer by 0.3 nights.

Inbound tourists in the past 10 months are estimated at 1,109,504 implying a rise of 10.3 per cent.

The growth was primarily attributable to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the British, Irish, Scandinavian and American markets.

Dips were recorded in the Austrian, Dutch and Belgian markets.

Just over 87 per cent - 87.1 per cent, to be precise - of all inbound visits comprised tourists from EU member states.

Although there was an increase in repeat tourism, the data shows that the overall surge was primarily characterised by a rise in first-time visits estimated to account for 68.4 per cent of the total.

The largest age bracket was made up of tourists aged 45 to 64. The strongest increase is attributable to tourists aged 25 to 44.

Total nights spent increased by 3.7 per cent. Nights spent in private accommodation rose by 6.7 per cent, while those in collective accommodation registered an increase of 2.5 per cent.

Tourist nights in rented accommodation and in lodging with family and friends went up by 3.5 and 17.3 per cent respectively while those spent in owner-occupied accommodation registered a drop of 5.3 per cent.

Guest nights in collective accommodation showed a 22.9 per cent increase in the five-star category, a drop in the three-star range and a lesser decrease in the four-star category.

The average length of stay is calculated at nine nights, down by 0.6 nights.

Total tourist expenditure is estimated at Lm416.8 million, an increase of 6.9 per cent. The difference was underpinned by higher non-package and other expenditure.

Although the majority of visitors are still opting for package travel, direct bookings and non-package stays are exhibiting an increasing trend.

The per capita total expenditure is estimated at Lm384, down by 2.6 per cent.