Cruise Passengers: Q1/2024
There were 19 cruise liner calls during the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 2 when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 73,372 (95.8 per cent). On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 4,030 passengers, 602 more than the previous year (Table 1).
Passengers from EU Member States comprised 62.7 per cent of total traffic. The major markets were Italy, accounting for 28.4 per cent of the total passengers, followed by Spain, with 11.3 per cent. The total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 28,584, of whom 21.9 per cent came from the United Kingdom and 14.5 per cent came from the United States (Table 1).
On a gender basis, female passengers made up 52.4 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket (32.4 per cent) and were followed by those aged between 60 and 79 years (25.9 per cent) (Table1).
Chart 1. Total cruise passenger traffic
No Data Found
Methodological Notes
| Embarkations | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January-March | 1,735 | 3,701 | 3,172 |
- Cruise passenger traffic: comprises transit passengers and passengers who land in Malta.
- Embarkations: comprise all cruise passengers who are either Maltese or who are foreigners who arrive in Malta by other means of transport.
- Transit passengers: comprise all cruise passengers who arrive in and leave Malta on the same cruise ship.
- Landed passengers: comprise all cruise passengers who arrive in Malta on a cruise ship and leave by other means of transport, or alternatively, stay in Malta.
- Passengers staying overnight: comprise passengers who spend at least one night in the Maltese Islands, either onboard the cruise ship or on land.
- Average number of passengers per vessel: computed by dividing total cruise passenger traffic by the number of cruise liner calls.
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Cruise Passengers: Q1/2024
- Total cruise passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2024 amounted to 76,562, an increase of 6.4 per cent over the same quarter of last year.
- There were 19 cruise liner calls during the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 2 when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
- Italy and Spain were the top two EU markets for the first quarter of 2024.
- In the first quarter of 2024, the largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket (32.4 per cent).
