Total cruise passenger traffic during the third quarter decreased by 8.5 per cent to 156,801, compared to the corresponding period last year. There were 91 cruise liner calls in comparison with 101 last year, the NSO said.
Transit passengers accounted for the vast majority of total traffi c (80.3 per cent), reaching 125,947. Around 69 passengers visited Gozo, while 15,000 passengers spent at least one night on board their berthed cruise liner.
Visitors from EU Member States accounted for 75.0 per cent of total traffi c, with the major markets being Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 39,263, of which 39.9 per cent came from the United States.
On a gender basis, female passengers made up 51.6 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 60 and 79.
January-September 2014
During the first nine months, total cruise passengers stood at 318,303, a rise of 2.5 per cent over 2013 levels. Of these, 76.6 per cent came from EU Member States. The sharpest increases were recorded from the French and German markets, which advanced by 15,512 and 9,769 passengers respectively. On the other hand, passengers from the United Kingdom and Spain dropped by 15,286 and 6,359 respectively.
Female passengers numbered 166,513 and were in the majority. Most of the cruise passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, amounting to 125,706. These were followed by passengers aged 40-59, totalling 101,165.
There were 203 cruise liner calls during the first nine months, with an average of 1,568 passengers per vessel, compared to 194 calls and an average 1,601 passengers per vessel in 2013.
In a press statement, the government added that 13,261 of the passengers spent a night at a hotel in Malta, seven times the figure registered in 2013. Tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis welcomed the news, adding it is a result of the strategic tourism plan the government is implementing.