Cruise passenger traffic in the first quarter amounted to 38,138, an increase of 68.4 per cent over the same period last year, the National Statistics Office said.

It said there were 23 cruise liner calls during the period – 10 more than last year. Transit passengers accounted for the vast majority of traffic, reaching 38,088.

Visitors from EU states accounted for 92.8 per cent of the total, with the major markets being Germany, France and Italy.

The number of passengers from non-EU countries stood at 2,760, 15 per cent of whom came from the United States.

On a gender basis, female passengers made up 52.5 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 60-79 age bracket and were followed by those aged 40 to 59.

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