Tourist arrivals in September increased 15.6% over the same month in 2017, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said 239,377 tourists came for holiday and 21,416 on business. Arrivals from EU states went up by 11.9% to 224,405 with the greatest number of tourists aged between 25 and 44 (39.5%), followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket (33%).

Total nights spent went up by 10.2% when compared to September 2017, surpassing two million nights. The largest share of guest nights (48.4%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €242.7 million, an increase of 4.8% over the corresponding month in 2017.

Arrivals for the first nine months reached 2,036,841, an increase of 15.6% over the same period in 2017. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 13.5%, surpassing 14.8 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at nearly €1.7 billion, 9.3% higher than that recorded for 2017.

Total expenditure per capita stood at €827, a decrease of 5.4% when compared to 2017.