The number of guests in hotels and other collective accommodation for tourists increased by 11.7 per cent in the last quarter of 2017 compared to the same period in the previous year.

The National Statistics Office said total guests in collective accommodation establishments numbered 433,149. Total nights spent amounted to 2,166,208.

The largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, accounting for 1,050,303 nights, or 48.5 per cent of the total.

The average length of stay went down to 5.0 nights in the fourth quarter of 2017 from the average of 5.2 nights registered during the same quarter of 2016.
The net use of bed-places stood at 58.2 per cent, up by 1.4 percentage points when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

During December 2017, there were 174 active collective accommodation establishments with a net capacity of 17,385 bedrooms and 39,047 beds.

Regional breakdown
Total guests in Malta region numbered 411,505, up by 11.6 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2016.

Additionally, an increase of 8.3 per cent was recorded in the number of nights.

Total guests and nights spent in Gozo and Comino region increased by 13.7 per cent and 9.2 per cent when compared to the same quarter of the previous year, to 21,643 and 72,054 respectively.

In Malta region, the average length of stay went down by 0.1 of a night to 5.1 nights; and that in Gozo and Comino region decreased by 0.2 of a night to 3.3 nights, when compared with the same quarter of the previous year. The net occupancy rate in Malta region increased by 1.2 percentage points, reaching 58.9 per cent, and that in Gozo and Comino region increased by 3.3 percentage points to 42.7 per cent over the same quarter of 2016.

January-December 2017
In 2017, total guests surpassed 1.8 million, an increase of 13.0 per cent over the same period in 2016.

Total nights spent went up by 6.8 per cent, reaching nearly 9.6 million. The net
use of bed-places advanced by 1.9 percentage points to 65.6 per cent.