Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 April, 2021 at 3:37 pm by Andre Camilleri
Total cruise passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2021 amounted to 7,966 passengers, a decrease of 80.2% over the corresponding period in 2020, the National Statistics Office said.
During the first quarter of 2021, there were 9 cruise liner calls in Malta, the same number as in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 7,963 passengers.
On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 885 passengers, 3,579 less than the previous year. EU nationals comprised the largest share of total cruise passengers during the period under review, at 94.7%.
The major market was Italy, with 5,854 passengers, accounting for 73.5% of the total passengers.
The total number of cruise passengers from non-EU countries during the quarter under review stood at 421, of whom 14.3% were United States nationals. Overall, EU and non-EU passengers decreased by 64.9% and 97.7% respectively, when compared to the same period in 2020.
Female passengers amounted to 4,102 and comprised 51.5% of the total traffic. The largest share of passengers, or 37.7%, fell within the 40 to 59 age bracket, followed by the 20 to 39 category, at 28.6%.
