The same number of tourists came to Malta in December but the total nights spent went up by 13.8 per cent, the National Statistics Office said.
The NSO said arrivals were estimated at 53,776, at par with December 2010. The average length of stay increased to 9.1 nights.
The NSO said that Tourstat survey results indicated that 43,338 tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, accounting for the absolute majority of tourism trips.
A drop was registered in the number of business tourists. First-time visitors made up the majority of inbound tourists, with an increase of six per cent over 2010 levels.
As in previous months, most inbound tourists came from EU states, while tourists from non-EU countries registered a slight rise.
Malta's main markets, namely the UK and Italy, accounted for 52 per cent of total inbound tourists. The
British market registered an increase of 17 per cent, while German and Italian markets experienced decreases.
Total nights spent in December were estimated at 487,279, up by 14 per cent when compared to 2010.
Results indicate that nearly half the tourists visiting Malta stayed for at least seven nights.
During the reference month, total expenditure was estimated at €39.8 million, a growth of seven per cent over 2010 levels. Expenditure on package travel advanced by 17 per cent and stood at €10.6 million, while non-package expenditure increased marginally, reaching €12.8 million.
The number of tourists throughout last year surpassed the 1.4 million mark, an increase of six per cent over 2010, and an all-time high for the Maltese Islands.
In absolute terms, this change was mostly attributable to an increase in holiday visits, mainly from the British, Italian and German markets. 85 per cent of all inbound visitors comprised tourists from EU states, and from the euro area, albeit a rise of 17 per cent in the number of non-EU tourists.
Increases were recorded in both the number of repeat tourists and in the number of first-time visitors. Non-package travel was higher than package travel, with an estimated 53 per cent of total travel. However, tourists opting for package trips advanced by 13 per cent when compared to 2010.