For many years, travelling was something that only rich people could afford. Going abroad was reserved for those with a lot of money to spend, and many Maltese simply could not afford to spend a few days out of the country. Living on an island made it all the more difficult for Maltese to visit other places.

But the younger generations became more adventurous, and over the years, the number of Maltese travelling abroad for their holidays increased rapidly. The Maltese started off with nearby Europe, with England and Italy being the most favourite destinations. Other European countries such as Germany, Spain, France and more recently, Eastern European nations also became popular.

The Maltese also started to explore America and Asia, but although the number of people travelling there has increased over the past years, European cities are still the most preferred for us Maltese.

There now seems to be a growing trend for the Maltese to take their holidays aboard luxurious cruise liners. Again, in the past, those who could afford it went to the Caribbean, while newly-wed couples saved up every cent to spend their honeymoon on a cruise. As more time passed, more and more Maltese families opted to take a cruise, rather than visit another European capital, especially since Malta became a point of departure.

The Malta Independent recently quoted travel agencies saying that some 8,000 Maltese went on a cruise this year. This, they said, represented a huge increase in the popularity of cruises, and this was partly due to the fact that good deals have been struck, enabling tour operators to offer better prices and excellent value for money.

But there are other reasons behind this sudden surge. First of all, departing from and returning to Malta is already encouraging. Having to catch a plane and then board a ship, and having to catch a plane back to Malta was not something everyone enjoyed doing, apart from increasing the holiday expenses.

Secondly, holidays on board cruise liners are relatively cheaper for families, since children and teenagers only need to pay taxes. Again, these are cheaper than taxes paid for air transport. One travel agent said that a minimum of Lm200 has to be spent by a family of four travelling to any European country by plane.

Thirdly, cruise holidays are relaxing in the real sense of the word, as the travellers can simply pass the time by the pool and taking part in on-board activities. The lazier ones can also opt not to leave the ship for the excursions organised at ports of call. Added to this, cruise holidays are all-inclusive and therefore one would know how much money he or she is going to spend before the holiday.

Another reason that has pushed the Maltese into choosing cruise holidays is the fact that they are considered to be safer than travelling by air these days. The foiling of a planned terrorist plot by British authorities earlier this month once again exposed the fragility of the airline industry that has been repeatedly negatively affected by such incidents.

As the number of Maltese choosing to go on a cruise increases, it is clear that there is bound to be a drop in the number of package tours booked. Travel agencies contacted by this newspaper said that they registered a drop in the number of bookings.

Added to this, airlines constrained travel agencies to pay deposits for their bookings two months before the tours were held, and this led to the cancellation of package tours as several agencies did not take the risk.

Whether the trend experienced this year will be maintained in the summers to come remains to be seen. But it looks likely that the attraction for cruises will grow.