Total cruise passenger traffic last year advanced by 9.4 per cent over 2011, and reached 608,786 passengers.

In December, the number stood at 18,156, 15.4 per cent more than in the same month in 2011.

The National Statistics Office said that in December, an increase of 14.6 per cent was noted in the number of transit passengers, while passenger embarkations and landings increased significantly over 2011.

The largest number of passengers came from EU countries and increased by 22.7 per cent over December 2011. The Italian market dropped by 15.8 per cent, while French passengers were down by 24.4 per cent.

But the British market recorded a substantial increase. The majority of non-EU passengers came from the United States and amounted to 1,309.

In 2012, 80 per cent of cruise visitors came from EU states - 32 per cent from Germany and 20 per cent from Italy. 32 per cent of passengers from non-EU states came from the United States.