Tourism to Malta in Malta increased by 15.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, according to official figures.

Total inbound visitors were estimated at 220,918, the National Statistics Office said. A total of 177,527 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 21,984 were undertaken for business purposes.

A significant increase of 68.2 per cent was registered in the number of business trips when compared to May 2016. Inbound tourists from EU states went up by 12.6 per cent to 187,315 when compared to the corresponding month in 2016.

The largest share of inbound tourists (40.1 per cent) were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket with 31.9 per cent. Total nights spent went up by 11.9 per cent when compared to May 2016, surpassing 1.4 million nights.

The largest share of guest nights (59.1 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments. Tourist nights in private accommodation increased by 31.2 per cent when compared to May 2016.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €169 million, an increase of 9.5 per cent over the corresponding month in 2016.

Tourism between January and May 2017 reached 763,849, an increase of 19.9 per cent over the same period in 2016. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 12.3 per cent, reaching nearly five million nights.

Total tourism expenditure reached nearly €560 million, 15 per cent higher than that recorded for 2016. Total expenditure per capita stood at €733, a decrease of 4.2 per cent when compared to 2016.