Collective accomodation bed-places increased by 2.4% during third quarter of 20

The net use of bed-places during the third quarter of the year stood at 80.6 per cent, reflecting an increase of 2.4 percentage points when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Monday show that during September there were a total of 323 active collective accommodation establishments with a net capacity of 21,403 bedrooms and 49,093 bed-places.

As defined by NSO, a bed place in an establishment is determined by “the number of persons who can stay overnight in the establishment, not taking into account any extra beds that may be provided to clients on request.”

While official collective accommodation statistics remain positive, the wider holiday rental sector in Malta is navigating significant changes.

Recently announced plans by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), targeting platforms like Airbnb, state that apartment owners are required to obtain the go-ahead of condominium neighbours before a property is licensed by the MTA, ramping up enforcement.

This development is expected to leave a notable impact, with approximately three-quarters of Malta’s licensed holiday homes currently listed on Airbnb set to be affected, according to a Times of Malta report.

These regulations are expected to bring more accountability to the sector while potentially shifting market dynamics.

47.9 per cent of guest nights reported in 4-star hotels

In the third quarter of 2024, the largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, with 47.9 per cent of the total.

The average length of stay in collective accomodation establishments in 2024 went up to five nights, when compared to the figure registered during the same quarter of 2023.

On a regional level, total guests in Malta numbered 685,396, which represents an increase of 10.3 per cent over the third quarter of 2023. Additionally, an increase of 12.2 per cent was recorded in the number of nights spent, reaching 3,513,671 nights. Total guests in Gozo and Comino increased by 3.3 per cent to 39,006, while nights increased by 3.5 per cent to 132,317.

When compared with the same quarter of the previous year, in Malta, the average length of stay increased slightly to 5.1 nights, while in Gozo and Comino the average length of stay remained constant at 3.4 nights. The net occupancy rate in Malta increased by 2.5 percentage points, reaching 81.3 per cent, whereas that in Gozo and Comino decreased by 0.8 percentage points to 64.9 per cent.

Overall, the total guests in the first three quarters of 2024 amounted to 1,923,082, an increase of 12.8 per cent over the same period in 2023. Total nights spent increased by 13.8 per cent reaching 8,647,791 nights. The net use of bed-places went up by 2.2 percentage points to 66.8 per cent.