MaltaMedia.com

According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) total arrivals and nights spent in collective accommodation establishments during December advanced by 8.5 and 12.2 per cent respectively, when compared to the corresponding month in 2011.

Total guest nights in collective accommodation establishments amounted to 372,085, with an average length of stay of 4.8 nights. Around 48 per cent of these nights were spent in 4-star hotels, while 5-star hotels accounted for 21.7 per cent of the total. Similarly, increases in arrivals were noted in almost all accommodation categories, with the exception of 2-star hotels. Total arrivals during December stood at 78,251.

The net use of bed-places in collective accommodation establishments stood at 33.6 per cent, up by 2.6 percentage points when compared to the corresponding month in 2011. The occupancy rate in hotel accommodation and in ‘other collective accommodation’ stood at 35.3 and 23.4 per cent respectively. Occupancy levels in 5-star and 3-star hotels increased by 2.8 and 7.9 percentage points respectively. In contrast, 4-star and 2-star hotels registered drops in occupancy levels when compared to December 2011.

On a national level, the net number of bedrooms and bed-places stood at 16,407 and 35,892respectively. Both figures increased when compared to 2011. The number of active establishments in December amounted to 131, of which 90.8 per cent were in Malta. The average number of beds per room stood at 2.2.

Total arrivals for the last quarter of 2012 amounted to 297,348, up by 6.4 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter during the previous year. Non-resident arrivals rose in almost all hotel categories and amounted to 252,652. Resident arrivals went up by 11.3 per cent to stand at 44,696.

Total nights spent between October and December amounted to over 1.6 million, a 6.1 per cent increase over the corresponding quarter in 2011. Nights spent by non-residents went up by 5.9 per cent and resident nights increased by 8.5 per cent, to 91,196.

The occupancy rate for the fourth quarter was estimated at 46.9 per cent, ranging from 49.2 per cent in hotels to 34.0 per cent in ‘Other collective accommodation’ establishments. There was an increase of 0.8 percentage points in the net occupancy rate when compared to 2011 levels.

Total arrivals and nights spent in collective accommodation establishments in Malta totaled 283,513 and 1,570,218 respectively. Both figures increased when compared to 2011, while the average length of stay stood at 5.5 nights. Resident arrivals and nights spent by residents in collective accommodation stood at 37,343 and 76,138 respectively, resulting in increases when compared to the corresponding period a year before. The same trend was observed for nonresident arrivals and nights, where increases of 5.8 and 6.0 per cent were observed.

In Gozo and Comino, both resident and non-resident arrivals registered decreases when compared to 2011 and numbered 7,322 and 6,513 respectively. On the other hand, non-resident nights increased marginally to 34,643.

The occupancy rate in Malta went up by 0.8 percentage points, reaching 47.3 per cent, while that in Gozo and Comino decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 35.7 per cent.