Cruise liner passengers hit record high

A total of 341,632 cruise passengers arrived in Malta last year, an increase of 82,242, or 31.7 per cent on 2001, and an all time record, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said yesterday.

He was speaking during a ceremony on the cruise liner Brilliance of the Seas, which visited Malta for the first time yesterday.

He said that cruise visitors were an important niche market which accounted for 144,064 visitors in 1998, increasing every year and reaching last year's record figure.

In 2002, the total number of cruise line visitors worldwide reached 11 million, with 12.4 million predicted to travel this year.

The Brilliance of the Seas forms part of Royal Caribbean Cruises, one of the largest cruise liner companies, having a fleet of 17 vessels.

Brilliance of the Seas, which is the second largest cruise liner to visit Malta, has a tonnage of 90,090 and carries 2,500 passengers.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that besides operating cruises worldwide, the Royal Caribbean Cruises have been operating to Malta since summer 1996 and the island has become one of the regular ports of call for this company, calling at Grand Harbour every week during the summer programme.

Because of the situation in the Middle East, the vessel will be making an extra seven calls to Malta this year.

This summer Royal Caribbean Cruises have a total of 29 calls to Malta, representing about 50,000 cruise liner visitors.

S. Mifsud and Sons Limited are the agents for Royal Caribbean Cruises.