Cruise passenger traffic up by 38.5%

The number of passengers in transit amounted to 43,862 and those who embarked from Malta stood at 1,851. Furthermore, passengers from EU countries amounted to 39,539, Italy being the predominant market. Same-day visitors from Non-EU countries stood at 7,035, a decrease of 16.7% when compared to 2009.

Total cruise passenger traffic in Malta by mid-year stood at 203,798, a 50.4% growth over the comparative period last year. Same-day visitors from EU countries amounted to 162,846.

Italian and German passengers were the leading visitors, with 30.8 and 23.2% respectively of the total. Non-EU passengers stood at 40,952, a drop of 8.0%.

On a gender basis, female passengers stood at 104,034 and males at 99,764. The majority of passengers were aged between 60 and 79, followed by those in the 40-59 age bracket, at 64,659. There were 111 cruise liner calls in the first half of this year, 17 more than last year.

In June, 25 cruise liner calls were recorded, with an average 1,863 passengers per vessel