The number of passengers who arrived in Malta on cruise ships declined by a third between January and April, but Valletta Cruise Port insisted this afternoon that this year would be a positive one for the company.

Figures have started to pick up as from this month, a company spokesman said, and there were four cruise ships in port today.

The company (formely Viset) said total passenger movements in April reached 45,105, down by 20 per cent over April last year.

Thirty-one cruise ships came to Malta in April compared to 33 in April last year. Three previously booked vessels cancelled their calls, amounting to a loss of around 5,500 passengers.

The company said the reason for the drop in numbers in the first part of the year was the late start of the season and the late Easter holidays.

The situation in Libya had not had an affect, the company spokesman said.

During April Malta Cruise Port welcomed the Mein Schiff1 on its first homeport operation. More than 3,000 passengers were handled and transferred in one day, including 1,500 passengers who were checked in at Valletta