The number of people crossing between Malta and Gozo declined sharply in the first quarter of this year when compared to the same three months last year, the NSO said today.
It said the number of passengers was down by 11.1 percent to 711,265 when compared to the same period in 2008. The number of vehicles carried by scheduled vessels went down by 5.3 percent, to 220,018.
March saw the most commuters and vehicles: 267,090 and 78,333 respectively.
The NSO pointed out that Easter was in March, and hence, in the first quarter, last year.
The number of trips in the first quarter this year was 4,649, a decrease of 1.7 percent over the comparable period last year. The highest number of trips was recorded in March: 1,585 or 34.1 percent of the total number of trips for the period under review