Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities has stated that women have a significant presence in the hotels and restaurants sector and outnumber men in this sector. This is the main conclusion of the UN World Tourism Organisation Day held on 27 September. In 2006, 44% of all those employed were women, a figure that significantly varies from one member state to another, ranging from 32% in Malta to 50% in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. However, in the hotels and restaurants sector in the EU27 (data for Luxembourg are unavailable) there were more women than men employed, with a share of women of 56%. The relative size of the female work force was higher in this sector than in the overall economy in all member states, except for Malta. In the tourist accommodation sector, which includes hotels and other short-stay accommodation, the share of women was even higher, at 62%. In 22 member states the share of women in the hotels and restaurants sector was 50% or more. The highest shares were found in the Baltic states with 95% in Latvia, 83% in Lithuania and 76% in Estonia. In four member states there were fewer women than men working in hotels and restaurants - Malta (28%), Greece (44%), Italy and France (both 49%). In all the member states, for which data are available (no data for Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Slovenia), annual average gross earnings for women were lower than for men. This was the case both in industry and market services, and in the hotels and restaurants sector. The smallest differences in average earnings between women and men were in Belgium in 2005 (where women earned 93% of what men earned), followed by Denmark, Malta (in 2003) and Finland (all 87%), Bulgaria and Sweden (both 86%). The largest difference was registered in Hungary (62%), followed by Slovakia (70%) and Cyprus (73% in 2004). (Source: Eurostat, data in focus 18/2007, “Employment of women in the tourist accommodation sector”: http: //ec.europa.eu/eurostat).