The cruise line industry is lashing out at plans to charge ships up to €30,000 to open their casinos in Maltese waters.
It also described as “crazy” a proposed demand for €100 a year for every gaming machine on board and another €150 for each gambling table.
The move is particularly galling for the cruise industry – facing its toughest times since Malta got into the business – as it has been calling for the chance to run casinos inside territorial waters and at berth for years.
Currently, cruise ships are obliged to close their gambling parlours and casinos inside Maltese territorial waters.
Times of Malta is informed that a few days ago the Government sent draft regulations to Brussels outlining proposals for the operation of casinos on board cruise ships in Maltese waters.
The proposals, seen by this newspaper, ask operators for a €20,000 concession fee and €8,500 annually for a licence, plus the additional charges for ‘fruit’-type machines and gaming tables.
“This is totally crazy,” a leading cruise liner agent said.
“While our industry is passing through one of its roughest times ever, and it seems that cruise ships are bypassing us, the Government gives us another blow, instead of helping us.”
Another major player in the local industry said: “We have been lobbying the Government to make the necessary amendments to the Gaming Act for the past two years to make Malta’s cruise port more attractive and at par with our competitors. It seems the Government does not understand our needs, as the licences proposed have been tied to hefty tariffs.
“This will not work and eventually will make Malta less and not more attractive.”
Malta wants to emulate a similar initiative by Gibraltar – one of its competing cruise port destinations – which two years ago introduced the concept for cruise liners at port.
However, Gibraltar did not introduce any tariffs for licences and instead lured ships to stay longer – even overnight – to take advantage of the permit.
Viset, the operator of Malta’s only cruise liner facilities, also expressed surprise at the proposed regulations, which it had pushed for.
It said there had never been any mention of tariffs.
This will not work and eventually will make Malta less attractive
“When Valletta Cruise Port approached the Lotteries and Gaming Authority with recommendations to amend the gaming legislation to allow cruise ships calling at Malta and Gozo to open their casinos (albeit for their passengers), the intention was to render calls in Malta and Gozo more attractive to the lines,” Viset’s spokes-man said.
“Clearly, the proposed regulations do not meet the intended objective for which the gaming legislation was amended two years ago and so we shall not be recommending them.”
The cruise line industry has been one of the island’s tourism pillars for years.
However, it is facing major difficulties as several cruise firms abandon the island.
Figures for the first six months show a downward trend in both passenger numbers and cruise line visits, with a total downturn of some 30 per cent expected by the end of this year.
While this year’s figures were negatively affected by the departure of important lines – such as MSC, NCL and Aida – sources indicated that Viset’s current largest client, Costa, has already decided to drastically cut its visits in 2014.
Last year a total of 609,000 passengers visited Malta on cruise ships, adding some €98 million to the country’s economy.