Cruise passenger traffic up by 10.5% in first quarter of 2025

The total cruise passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2025 amounted to 84,597, an increase of 10.5 per cent over the same quarter of last year, the National Statistics Office said on Friday.

There were 31 cruise liner calls during the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 12 when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 83,095 (98.2 per cent). On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 2,729 passengers, 1,301 less than the previous year.

Passengers from EU Member States comprised 56.6 per cent of total traffic. The major markets were Italy, accounting for 21.9 per cent of the total passengers, followed by Spain, with 8.9 per cent. The total number of passengers from non-EU countries stood at 36,725, of whom 25.8 per cent came from the United States and 18.3 per cent came from the United Kingdom.

On a gender basis, male passengers made up 52.0 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket (30.6 per cent) and were followed by those aged between 60 and 79 years (28.6 per cent).