The cruise liner industry in Malta is expected to continue to boom with luxury liners bringing over more passengers.
The local sales agent for one of the leading companies said all allocations to him for this summer were nearly fully booked and he had asked for more cabins.
The massive cruise liner MSC Fantasia, on its maiden call to Malta, spent about 10 hours in Grand Harbour on Wednesday, its sheer size dwarfing the bastions and its modern design contrasting sharply with the historic structures.
Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco noted while visiting the luxury liner that, along the years, the concept of cruise liners had developed, ships were becoming bigger and the number of arrivals was growing. In order to be able to meet future needs, Malta decided to enhance its harbour facilities.
While the island had to consolidate what it had achieved, the government and the private sector should spare no effort to continue to provide the right facilities to welcome the thousands of cruise liner passengers expected to visit the country, he said..
The government and Valletta Cruise Port continued to invest to ensure that larger ships could to berth at Grand Harbour and, in this regard, Transport Malta would be investing €66 million over the next two years. Norman Hamilton, managing director of Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd, local representative of MSC Cruises, said MSC last year reached an agreement with Valletta Cruise Port to bring 150,000 passengers to Malta annually. He said that, on May 30, the company would be operating on the Malta route its newest liner, the Divina, MSC would be launching another massive liner in December 2012, which still had to be named.
The Fantasia will call at Malta 27 times this year - once weekly - and MSC Cruises will make 37 calls in all, bringing a total of 107,000 passengers.
Mr Hamilton said Fantasia will be calling every Wednesday till October 19 and 4,000 Maltese and Gozitan passengers will be cruising on board the ship in the coming weeks. Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd will also be responsible for embarking about 1,000 Cypriot passengers from Malta, apart from organising shore excursions for all passengers on board MSC liners visiting Malta.
Fantasia captain Mattia Manzi said he was proud to sail the liner inside the Grand Harbour and felt confident the relations between his company, Hamilton Travel and the authorities would continue to flourish for the benefit of all.
Together with its twin sister ship the Splendida (July 2009), the 138,000-ton Fantasia (December 2008) is the largest cruise liner ever built for a European ship owner. With a length of 333 metres and 18 passenger decks, this luxury cruise ship can carry up to 4,356 passengers and 1,325 crew members. The liner has 107 suites and 1,637 cabins , including 43 for the disabled. Eighty per cent of the accommodation consists of outside cabins, ranging from 18 to 65 square metres in size.
The common areas include the 1,700 square metre Aurea spa and solarium, four outdoor and 12 indoor bars and lounges, the Casino delle Palme and L’Avanguardia 1,603 seat theatre.
The Fantasia is the first ship in the MSC cruise fleet that offers the exclusive VIP area – MSC Yacht Club- with 99 spacious suites and exclusive access to the bar, pool with two spa baths and solarium and Top Sail lounge.
MSC Cruises’ state-of-the-art fleet is the result if a €5.5 billion investment programme initiated in 2003.