In 2023, our country experienced approximately 900,000 passenger movements by cruiseliner. This is a 65% increase compared to last year and compares very well with 2019 which was a record year.
Last year, the cruise industry in Malta contributed €85 million to the Maltese economy, with €32 million of that in spending by cruise passengers and the other €53 million from cruise lines. themselves.
It is estimated that the outlook for the cruise industry during this year will remain positive as we expect to see over 900,000 passenger movements for 2024.
These details were announced in a news conference by the Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness Clayton Bartolo and the Chief Executive Officer of the Valletta Cruise Port and the Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding Stephen Xuereb .
The minister said that the cruising industry can be a catalyst for air tourism because Malta’s first experience on a cruise can lead to a longer stay in the future.
“We will continue our work to have more cruise companies doing homeporting in our country. Homeporting is when you have a ship that starts and ends its journey in Malta. This concept already exists, and we are committed to continuing to see it grow in the future. There are more opportunities with which the cruiseliner industry offers added value to our tourist product. In tourism you can never say you have achieved a good result and stop there. It is a competitive world that is constantly changing and therefore it is important that we continue to work so that the industry remains based on sustainable foundations for the time to come,” stressed Minister Clayton Bartolo.
Stephen Xuereb claimed how Malta’s central position in the Mediterranean means that Malta hosts a number of ships that are on itineraries that reach the four winds of the Mediterranean, frequently even on long itineraries that reach regions that further strengthen our reputation as a premier cruise port.
“This industry leaves a substantial impact on the Maltese Islands in economic terms: services to ships and services to passengers; flights to and from Malta with an impact on the air lines and the airport, as well as what we know as cruise and stay where passengers have the option of spending several days in our country before or after the cruise theirs,” concluded Mr. Xuereb.
