Total cruise passenger traffic during the fourth quarter of 2021 amounted to 44,994

During the fourth quarter of 2021, there were 34 cruise liner calls in Malta. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 42,166 passengers. On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 1,323 passengers.

EU nationals comprised the largest share of total cruise passengers during the period under review, at 82.3 per cent. The major market was Italy with 13,586 passengers, accounting for 30.2 per cent of the total passengers. The total number of cruise passengers from Non-EU countries during the quarter under review stood at 7,984.

Female passengers amounted to 23,771 and comprised 52.8 per cent of the total traffic. The largest share of passengers, fell within the 60 to 79 age bracket with 33.7 per cent, followed by the 40 to 59 age category, at 31.1 per cent .

January-December 2021

Total cruise passengers for 2021 stood at 141,917. Of these, 87.1 per cent came from EU Member States. This represents a significant increase in cruise passengers when compared to 2020, although pre-Covid-19 levels have yet to be attained.

The majority of the passengers were females amounting to 74,000 or 52.1 per cent of the total. Most passengers were between 40 and 59 years old, totalling 45,281. These were followed by passengers aged 60-79 years, reaching 34,888.

There were 106 cruise liner calls in 2021, with an average of 1,339 passengers per vessel, compared to 32 calls and an average of 1,844 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2020.