Hotels welcomed 122,174 guests in October, up by 13.1 per cent over the same month in 2009, the NSO said today.

Total guest nights increased by 10.2 per cent, while the average length of stay was calculated at 5.9 nights.

The overall net occupancy rate was 59.8 per cent, a rise of 4.5 percentage points over 2009. Significant increases in occupancy rates were noted in all hotel categories.

The non-resident occupancy rate stood at 57.5 per cent, an increase of 4.4 percentage points in respect of last year's levels.

The overall net supply of bed-places stood at 38,696. Decreases in bedplaces for Gozo and Comino were contrasted by increases in Malta. The net number of bedrooms for October went up by 231 and was calculated at 17,922