By
Alex Smith |
Valletta Cruise Port handled nearly 900,000 passenger movements in 2023, the Maltese port has announced, representing an increase of over 65 per cent compared to 2022.
The cruise industry contributed €85 million to the economy of Malta, including €32 million in spending by cruise passengers and €53 million in spending by the visiting cruise lines.
The details were announced in a press conference by Malta’s Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness, Clayton Bartolo, and Stephen Xuereb, CEO of Valletta Cruise Port and chief operating officer of Global Ports Holding.
“As a country, we will continue working to have more cruise companies homeporting in Malta,” said Bartolo. “We are committed to support the fly and cruise sector to see it grow further. It is important that we continue to work so that the industry remains based on sustainable foundations."
"This industry leaves a substantial impact on the Maltese islands in economic terms: services to ships and services to passengers; flights to and from Malta with an impact on airlines and the airport, with passengers also having the option of spending several days in our country before or after their cruise,” said Xuereb. “Of note is that the industry has not only achieved full normality post-pandemic but is expanding, with more than 50 brand new ships on the orderbook by cruise lines within 2028, with 11 entering the supply market during 2024. Locally, prospects for 2024 are extremely positive and we believe that we will comfortably surpass the 900,000-passenger movement mark.”