Cruise passengers increase by 27%

According to statistics published by the National Statistics Office (NSO), total cruise passenger traffic during the fourth quarter of 2014 amounted to 153,251, an increase of 27.0% over the corresponding period in 2013. There were 100 cruise liner calls during the quarter, in comparison with 92 in the previous year.

 Transit passengers made up the vast majority of total traffic (92.7%), reaching 142,066. Around 524 passengers visited Gozo, while 3,541 passengers spent at least one night on board their berthed cruise liner.

The NSO said that visitors from EU Member States accounted for 80.7% of total traffic, the major markets being Germany, Italy and France. On the other hand, the total number of passengers from non-EU countries stood at 29,604, with 33.7% of these came from the United States.

Furthermore, female passengers made up 53.0% of the total number of visitors. The majority of passengers were in the 60 to 79 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 40 and 59.

Statistics showed that cruise passengers for 2014 stood at 471,554, a rise of 9.3% over 2013. 77.9% of these came from EU Member States. The biggest increases were recorded from the German and French markets, with an increase of 29,314 and 28,508 passengers respectively. In contrast, passengers from the United Kingdom and Spain dropped by 24,062 and 12,496 respectively.

The majority of cruise passengers were females, amounting to 247,687. Most passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, amounting to 189,422 people. These were followed by passengers aged 40-59, who added up to 147,740 people.

There were 303 cruise liner calls in 2014, with an average of 1,556 passengers per vessel, compared to 286 calls with an average of 1,508 passengers per vessel in 2013

Government reacts

Tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis welcomed the data, remarking that the positive numbers confirm the success of the cruise liner sector in Malta over the past year.

Zammit Lewis said that the sector had recovered well from 2013, which saw a drop in passengers.

The increase in passengers in the first and final quarters of the year also augered well, as these are considered shoulder months.

“These positive results, even in the off-peak season, are proof that the government’s efforts to make Malta’s tourism sector sustainable, throughout the year, have been fruitful,” he said.