MHRA and VISET, developers and operators of Valletta Waterfront and the Cruise Passenger Terminal, have announced their partnership collaboration.

Speaking at the signing, the president of Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association, Josef Formosa Gauci, said such collaboration between VISET and the other MHRA partners can only strengthen the direction that tourism must take for the success of Malta and Gozo in this most competitive global sector. Cruise business is an important niche market for the Maltese Islands and, coupled with the hospitality sector, it has huge potential in boosting this country’s economy.

Speaking on behalf of VISET, chairman Joseph Zammit Tabona and general manager Christopher Paris, said the potential contribution of the cruise industry to Malta’s economy is much wider than many people appreciate.

Recent releases show a contribution to Malta’s GDP by the cruise industry of circa EUR93 million. However, this is only part of the picture.

The Malta Tourism Authority spends millions on advertising Malta as a holiday destination. With the cruise industry, Malta has a captive audience of circa half-a-million one-day visitors, who have paid their way and are, in a very short time, exposed to the different facets of Product Malta. This is an excellent opportunity to promote Malta to these passengers to come back on a longer holiday, and for these passengers to recommend Malta to their family and friends.

VISET’s corporate partnership with MHRA is testimony to the interdependencies and synergies between cruising and tourism, a relationship that goes beyond cruising as a sub-product of tourism. The two industries share critical success factors, such as aggressive destination marketing and air links, and also challenges to their respective long-term sustainability such as improvement to infrastructure and changes in various outdated practices.