Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2015 amounted to 205,224, an increase of 66.4 per cent over the corresponding period last year, and around 2,386 passengers visited Gozo, the National Statistics Office said today.

In Malta there were 108 cruise liner calls during the second quarter, 19 more than last year. At 87.0 per cent, transit passengers accounted for the vast majority of total traffic, reaching 178,589, while 6,186 passengers spent at least one night on board their berthed cruise liner.

Visitors from EU Member States comprised 75.6 per cent of total traffic, the major markets being Germany, Italy and France. The total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 50,151, of whom 27.1 per cent came from the United States.

On a gender basis, female passengers made up 52.5 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers were in the 60-79 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 40 and 59.

During the first half of the year, total cruise passengers stood at 225,877, a rise of 39.9 per cent over 2014. Of these, 75.8 per cent came from EU Member States. The biggest increases were recorded from the German and Italian markets, which advanced by 24,532 and 12,528 passengers respectively.

In contrast, passengers from the United Kingdom and France dropped by 2,631 and 2,545 respectively. Female passengers numbered 118,455 and were in the majority. Most passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, amounting to 90,864. These were followed by passengers aged 40-59, reaching 70,571.

In Malta there were 117 cruise liner calls during the first six months, with an average 1,931 passengers per vessel, compared to 112 calls and an average 1,442 passengers per vessel in January-June 2014.

Photograph: The M/S Seabourn Sojourn

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