A total of 320,104 cruise liner passengers visited Malta in 2005, and the figure is expected to reach 400,000 in 2006, said Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference on board the SuperStar Libra before its first depart-ure from its home port of Valletta, Dr Zammit Dimech said that the fact that Star Cruises were to begin operating from Malta means that we are now being actively considered as a crucial destination on the world tourism map.
Star Cruises chief executive Chong Chee-Tut said that the line is currently the third largest in the world and the largest in the Asian region. He said that Malta presents an ideal and strategic hub for cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Mr Chong said that this allows Star Cruises to plan interesting and diverse seven-night itineraries along the west and east coasts of Italy, the Aegean Sea and the Greek Islands apart from more exotic destinations such as Italy and Alexandria.
The SuperStar Libra has a passenger capacity of 1,900 and berthed at the recently opened passenger cruise terminal at Grand Harbour yesterday morning. She arrived after a 15-day relocation cruise from Mumbai, India which included calls at Dubai and Bahrain where she was showcased to more than 600 members of the media, travel trade and corporate representatives from the Middle East region.
Dr Zammit Dimech said that home porting was an important concept for Malta, and the operation of such a large cruise-ship line from Grand Harbour was indeed a major scoop. He said that Star Cruises and the Malta Tourism Authority will shortly be signing a cooperation agreement at the World Tourism Fair in London.
In answer to questions, Mr Chong said that the line was not expected to make a profit on its Malta operations for the first year, as it had entered the market rather late. However, he said that things are looking good for the coming years, as the destination becomes better known, with substantial interest from Far Eastern tourists.
Mr Chong said that the first figures showed that around 600-800 local tourists would be booking their cruises aboard the SuperStar Libra.