Tourist arrivals in September were estimated at 241,378, 15.9% more than in the same month last year, the National Statistics Office said.

It said 208,759 came on holiday, while 13,419 came for business purposes. Arrivals from EU states went up by 14.1% to 200,509 when compared to September 2016.

Most were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket.

Total nights spent in Malta went up by 13.1%, surpassing 1.8 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (51.8%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments. Tourist nights in private accommodation increased by 23.8% when compared to September 2016.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €231.6 million, an increase of 16.7% over the same month last year.

Arrivals from January to September reached 1,761,973, an increase of 16.3% over the same period in 2016. Total nights spent went up by 10.8%, surpassing 13 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure surpassed €1.5 billion, 13.6% more than that recorded for 2016. Total expenditure per capita stood at €874, a decrease of 2.2% when compared to 2016.