Figures released by the tourism association EBT (Ente bilaterale territoriale per il turismo della regione Lazio) showed that during the month of September, Rome registered an over 9 percent increase in visitors, compared with the same period last year. Over a million tourists visited Rome in September, staying on an average of two and half days.

Following recent established trends, the greatest number of visitors came from North America, followed by visitors from Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Spain and lastly France.

Visitors to the capital showed a preference for top grade 4 and 5 star hotels, which registered a good occupancy close to 70 percent.

According to calculations based on travel agency bookings, the tourism figures forecast for October and November seem to indicate a continuing upward climb. However, positive or negative variations can influence final figures owing to the constant increase in last minute bookings.

Outgoing figures for September showed that Romans