The number of cruise passengers who were in transit stood at 42,546 (72.1 per cent) while those who landed in Malta numbered 8,181. The majority of passengers, 36.1 per cent, were between 60 and 79 years of age, followed by the 40-59 age-group (20,482). On a gender basis, male passengers were fewer than females and counted 28,498. During May there were 33 cruise liner arrivals with an average 1,789 persons per vessel.

Cruise passengers from EU countries amounted to 50,784, 6,634 more than last year. Most EU passengers, 48.7 per cent, came from Germany, which figure more than doubled when compared to the corresponding month last year. These were followed by cruise passengers coming from Italy and France, at 10,888 and 5,396 respectively. Non-EU passengers numbered 8,253 of which 35.2 per cent were from the United States. All Non-EU markets recorded decreases in cruise passengers, when compared to 2010 levels.

Total cruise passengers for this five-month period stood at 127,450, a drop of 18.9 per cent over the last year. The majority of passengers, or 74.9 per cent, came from EU counties. All European markets registered drops during this period, with Italy recording the highest decrease of 11,953 cruise passengers. The number of Non-EU visitors also dropped by 5.6 per cent and stood at 32,015. All main markets registered decreases in cruise passengers, with the highest one being the United States, or 3,527 less than the previous year.

Most passengers (16.2 per cent) fell within the 60-79 age-group and were followed by the 40-59 age group which stood at 40,777. Female cruise passengers counted 66,789 with a share of 52.4 per cent of the total. There were 76 cruise liner calls for this period, 10 less when compared with the previous year.

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