Malta’s total cruise passenger traffic was up by 11.9% to 78,051 in the first quarter of the year, as compared to the same quarter a year earlier, according to figures by the National Statistics Office (NSO). During the period, the number of cruise liner calls also went up by four to a total of 21.
Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic with a slice of 99.7% of the total; counting 77,85, NSO statistics show. However, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried an average of 3,717 passengers, which figure is 385 less than the previous year.
Passengers from European Union member states comprised 65.9% of the total traffic, with Italy, France and Germany being the main drivers. Some 19% of the total traffic was from the United States.