In the past decade, Gozo and Comino continued to be explored by different cruise ships – a mixture of boutique and expedition cruise ships to medium and larger ones.

Cruise tourism contributes positively towards the diversification of economic activity, promoting the regeneration of indigenous products. Being the sister island of Malta, Gozo complements calls to the port of Valletta and is interesting in its own right as it offers a different experience. The Maltese islands represent an attractive two-day programme. Sailing from one port to another is also very scenic, making it an experience in itself.

This year Gozo is expecting 13 calls. Mġarr harbour is the main tender port in Gozo and efforts are being made to strengthen the load capacity of the buoy in Xlendi bay so it can handle ships up to 30,000 tons. From 2008 to 2012, calls varied from five to 14. The Noordam, Rotterdam and Prinsendam were among the larger ships which anchored between the islands of Gozo and Comino. On July 12, 2012, Gozo had two ships anchored off Mġarr Harbour, the Club Med II and the Seabourn Legend.

In order to strengthen the unique selling points of the destination and guarantee the necessary preparedness and required infrastructure, the Government of Malta has recently issued a call for expression of interest for the development of a cruise liner terminal and berthing facilities and a yacht marina in the island of Gozo. The expression of interest can be viewed on http://gozo.gov.mt/download.aspx?id=4237 . Interested parties can submit their proposals by September 30, 2013.