Cruise passengers up 1.9 per cent

Cruise passengers in March totalled 15,441, an increase of 7,381 passengers over the same month last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

Total cruise passenger traffic between January and March amounted to 19,879, an increase of 1.9 per cent over the same period last year. Same-day visitors from EU countries accounted for 91 per cent of total traffic, the main markets being Germany, Italy and Spain. The largest proportion of passengers - 38.3 per cent - comprised persons aged between 60 and 79, followed by those in the 40 - 59 age bracket, who accounted for 34 per cent of the total. Cruise liner calls increased by two in March, bringing the total for the January - March period to 15 compared to 19 a year earlier.