VALLETTA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Close to 2.3 million tourists visited Malta in 2017, 15.7 percent higher than 2016, according to data published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Thursday.

The NSO said that over 16.5 million nights were spent in the Mediterranean island in 2017, 10.3 percent more than in 2016.

Tourist expenditure surpassed 1.9 billion euros, up 13.9 percent compared with 2016, or 856 euros per visitor.

Addressing a news conference marking this successful year, Malta's Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said 2017 had exceeded all expectations, adding that during this year, the government would be focusing on improving the country's main tourist areas.