The huge bulk of a cruise liner filled all that one could see from the window, as tourists came back to the ship, many with bags denoting purchases made in Valletta.

Then, all of a sudden, the big ship glided away and one could see the whole of Grand Harbour from John Portelli’s room with a view at VISET where John has begun serving as CEO, following a stint at the Freeport.

Last year, Malta saw a peak in the number of cruise passenger arrivals, but this year, following the credit crunch and the international recession, the number of cruise liners calling at Malta has fallen, and so has the number of passengers that came on them.

Where last year 556,000 passengers came, this year will see between 70,000 and 80,000 fewer. As the crisis has been felt all over the world, people held back on holidays, as many do not consider them to be essential items. However, now that the economic crisis seems to be lifting, there is a rise in late bookings.

Nevertheless, in Malta’s core markets people have either opted to stay at home – the famous British “staycations” – or chosen to holiday close to home.

There are many discounts available, as well, Mr Portelli told me in an interview, as there is a price war waging between cruise liner owners.

One of Mr Portelli’s self-imposed tasks at VISET is that he trawls the various websites and blogs to see what people write about their Malta experience. It would seem that most people who visit Malta have only praise for the island. Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency, even though no other port in the Mediterranean offers what Grand Harbour offers to those who come here.

Mr Portelli is learning that the Valletta Cruise Terminal operation can be very efficient. Last year, in just one day, it handled 12,000 passengers. This was repeated, although on a minor scale, last August when Boiler Wharf was used for the first time by a cruise liner. On that day, VISET had three cruise liners tied up to the quay and another was across the water at Boiler Wharf. It was very well coordinated, and many of the passengers who alighted on the Senglea foreshore were ferried to Valletta by boat.

While they are in Malta, cruise liner passengers expect to get value for money. While the number of people who choose pre-booked shore excursions has been declining, many more are now choosing to tour Malta on their own. This is why linking the terminal to Valletta is becoming increasingly desirable.

It is important to understand that Malta is quite unlike most other ports, in that in just 15 minutes one is in the centre of the capital city.

As I could see for myself that very same morning, the flow of passengers is very smooth. The taxis are now very well organised and passengers can pay for them at a special booth, with fixed rates and a receipt as well.

There is also Bus 198, which takes people to City Gate, and scheduled open-top buses. VISET is now trying to get the karozzini drivers, who flocked there when St George’s Square was closed off to them, into some kind of order, although, as I passed by that morning, they looked ordered enough already.

Hopefully, in the coming months the lift will be up and running and the electric cabs will be permitted to get to the cruise liner terminal (at present they can go no further than the bottom of Crucifix Hill).

VISET gets a lot of support from ADT and also from the police, who ensure that the terminal remains a family place, even when the cruise liners are not there.

Cruise liner passengers also have various excursion­ opportunities available, from trips on the seaplane, to possible helicopter flights in the near future, to water taxis and dghajjes touring the placid waters of Grand Harbour, from safari cruises and cabin-cruiser tours to Gozo or Comino, to bicycle tours of Malta (popular with the Germans).

VISET is quite optimistic regarding the prospects for next year and bookings are definitely improved.

The Port of Valletta this year lost two lines that chose to stay near Spain, as they catered mainly for Spanish tourists, and also due to the high cost of fuel when the decisions were taken last year, when the price of oil was at record levels.

Some lines are coming back, but there is now new competition from the Gulf, where cruising is being taken up in a big way, especially for the winter tourists.

Meanwhile, VISET has extended its quays by removing the ro-ro ramp and can now cater for larger ships. It is planning to dredge the sea near Wine Wharf, next to the seaplane area, in order to extend its berthing capacity.

In April next year, the new flagship of Disney Cruises will come to Malta on its maiden voyage. After that, it will be a regular visitor. However, it will not, unlike most other liners, take on any passengers from Malta.

A short while ago, VISET advertised on Lloyds List for an International Business Development Manager. It intends this person to be its international ambassador, meeting cruise lines, establishing good relations with them, keeping a direct line of communication open between them and VISET, keeping VISET’s name known in all the international fora where cruise liner business is talked about. Ships’ agents have their own role to play, Mr Portelli feels, but a cruise liner terminal needs to have its own communication with the cruise liner businesses. In short, the point of having such a manager is to be more proactive in getting more cruise liner business to Malta.

VISET also intends to try and get cruise lines to homeport in Malta, that is to enable people to fly and cruise to and from Malta, and also spend a few days here before or after their cruise.

As to the landside part of the VISET business, the place is extremely popular with people all through the week, especially at weekends. VISET encourages families to visit and there are animators around at weekends. It also organised the ‘Roaring Sundays’ throughout the summer and the number of people who visit has been increasing.

All the vaults have become catering or retail outlets and offices, and the one that is currently closed is undergoing refurbishment.

Not all the offices have been rented out, but there are now more applications for office space. All the shops, most of which cater for cruise liner passengers, have now been taken up.

The VISET board is about to take the final decisions on the Arium, the space that is now used as a car park in the middle of the building, before converting it into small-scale retail facilities and a multi-storey car park. Meanwhile, when there are no cruise ships in port, parking is being allowed on the quays, where there is ample space.

As far as the old power station building is concerned, Mr Portelli is meeting interested parties before VISET issues a call for expression of interests on what to do with this huge space.

The other big space, the Magazino, is already used for embarking passengers and is rented out for functions on many occasions.

As for the future strategy, Mr Portelli believes that the space at Valletta Waterfront can be utilised further. At the beginning of the VISET experience, passenger ships were bringing on average 800 passengers per call. That average has now risen to around 1,700 passengers per ship.

The quays are also used by supply vessels as well as military ships when there are no cruise liners but, even so, more use can be made of the berthing facilities at the Port of Valletta.

Cruise liner passengers in the Med

Barcelona: 2 million

Civitavecchia: 1.8 million

Naples: 1.23 million

Venice: 1.2 million

Dubrovnik: 851,000

Tunisia: 694,000

Malta: 556,000

Marseilles: 540,000

Bari: 465,000

Larnaca: 376,000

Monaco: 339,000

Valencia: 199,000

Note: It should be pointed out that Malta, unlike many other destinations, is a single-port country. This puts the figures into a different context.