20 per cent rise in cruise passenger traffic

Cruise passenger traffic up to May rose 20 per cent compared to the first five months of last year, reaching 131,311 passengers.

In May alone, the island registered a 44.1 per cent increase, amounting to 74,564, the National Statistics Office said yesterday. Same-day visitors from EU countries accounted for 81.3 per cent of total traffic, the main markets being Italy, Spain and the UK.

The largest proportion of passengers comprised persons aged 60-79. These amounted to 37.3 per cent, whereas those in the 40-59 age bracket accounted for 29.2 per cent of the total.