Nearly 40,000 passengers arrived in Malta in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 90 per cent over the same period of 2015. According to figures published by the National Statistics Office, these vessels carried more than 670,000 passengers, up by 30 per cent from 2014.

The cruise ship Carnival Vista arrived in Malta this morning, signalling the first arrival of a Carnival Cruise Line ship.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said he looked forward to enhancing the relationship between Malta and the Carnival Cruise line, 80 per cent of whose passengers come from the United States.

Dr Zammit Lewis said there was no doubt that the cruise-liner market has taken on a critical importance within Malta’s tourism industry with a substantial number of first-time visitors returning for a longer stay.

Last year was an absolute record for the industry in Malta as 307 cruise line vessels entered the Grand Harbour. 

Malta has just registered an exceptional rate of cruise liner tourism in winter. Seventeen cruise liners called in between January and March, eight more than last year. 

 

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