Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2018 amounted to 182,862, a decrease of 0.2 per cent over the corresponding period in 2017, the NSO said.

There were 103 cruise liner calls during the second quarter of 2018, 12 less than the previous year. At 83.8 per cent, transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 153,199.

A total of 4,490 passengers visited Gozo, while 14,572 passengers spent at least one night on board their berthed cruise liner. On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 1,775 passengers, 182 more than the previous year.

Visitors from EU Member States comprised 67.7 per cent of total traffic, the major markets being the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France. The total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 59,084, of whom 39.5 per cent came from the United States.

On a gender basis, female passengers made up 54.0 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 60-79 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 40 and 59.

January-June

During the first half of the year, total cruise passengers stood at 252,604, a drop of 5.9 per cent over

2017. Of these, 67.1 per cent came from EU Member States. A decrease was recorded in EU nationals of 24,006 passengers, with the main changes occurring in the British and Italian markets. The Non-EU market, on the other hand, registered an increase of 8,252 passengers.

Female passengers numbered 136,427 and were in the majority. Most passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, amounting to 108,302. These were followed by passengers aged 40-59, reaching 75,232.

There were 120 cruise liner calls during the fi rst six months, with an average 2,105 passengers per vessel, compared to 149 calls and an average 1,801 passengers per vessel in January-June 2017