Malta in 2007 exceeded its cruise passenger traffic projections for the year with a month to spare, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said.

He said that by the end of November the number of cruise passengers who came to Malta had reached 483,257, an increase of 20 percent over the corresponding period the previous year. The target for the whole year, set by cruise terminal operator Viset, had been 432,000 passengers.

Dr Zammit Dimech told the “Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum” that the cruise line industry in Malta was growing at a remarkable speed. In 1998 Malta hosted just 144,064 cruise passengers, a figure which had since grown by 235 percent. The industry wascontributing about €100 million to the Maltese economy.

“Cruise passengers were also a source of promotion to our tourism sector as over 80 per cent of all cruise passengers interviewed said that they are interested in returning to Malta in the future,” added Minister Zammit Dimech.

The meeting, being held in Malta today and tomorrow, has drawn representatives of the major cruise lines.

They are discussing “Winter Cruising: Its current scope and future potential”.