Malta is starting to make waves within the American cruise liner market, with US passengers doubling last month compared with September 2011.

Although still a small number, a total of 8,460 American passengers visited Maltese shores in September 2012, as compared to 4,162 a year earlier.

This increase mirrored an overall growth in cruise liner passenger numbers throughout the year. Between January and September, numbers rose by almost 14 per cent compared with 2011.

The vast majority came from EU states, with Germany, Italy and the UK together making up two-thirds of all EU-hailing passengers.

The three source countries also provided the lion’s share of the total cruise liner passenger numbers in September.

The British market did especially well, with the number almost quadrupling when compared with September 2011. Conversely, there were 26.2 per cent fewer Italian tourists.

A total of 238 cruise liners entered Maltese harbours in the first three quarters of the year, with each ship carrying an average of 1,900 passengers.

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