When the Valletta Waterfront was still a dingy, messy and horrible place, cruise liners still used to pull in for a day-stop in Malta. The whole area was unregulated – taxis parked anywhere they liked and charged any prices they liked. Horse cabbies lined the road, with the smell of urine permeating everywhere. Warehouses continued to operate and it really did look like a shabby, dirty mess. Yet still, the liners came. Passengers still came to sample the delights of Valletta or Mdina – but everyone always knew there was room for much improvement.

The Valletta Waterfront, the new Sea Passenger Terminal and the hugely improved port management facilities have seen a tremendous improvement to the area. The berthing area is pleasant, the facilities are good, taxi drivers maintain order, cabbies are placed in one area… in short, it is well organised.

This increased organisation, coupled with the much improved aesthetics of the harbour area and the improved infrastructure has borne fruit. Cruise liner arrivals are simply going through the roof. The latest figures which were announced earlier this week showed a 41 per cent increase of cruise passenger arrivals when comparing May 2009 to 2010. A total of 52,951 passengers arrived in Malta this year compared to 22,007 last year. In addition, if one had to take figures for the first five months of the year, there is a 53 per cent increase over the year before – a total of 153,646 people.

Of course, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and this is evidenced by the number of liners that are now departing and returning to Malta, rather than simply making a call. It is all very positive and cruise liner passengers do spend money when on the island.

The government has announced plans to increase berthing across the harbour in the three cities and spots have already been earmarked to house the huge ships. But of course, this must be complemented by the necessary infrastructure and aesthetics. This will ultimately realise the goal of having one continuous waterfront from Valletta, stretching round to Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. But there is the small matter of Marsa. No matter what is done, the full potential of the vision will not be realised until something is done about Marsa Creek. Whatever anyone says, it is a mess and something needs to be done about it if we are going to be spending millions on the other side of the harbour.

There are also plans to build a breakwater in Marsamxett Harbour and this will include the construction of cruise liner berthing spots. This should further boost the industry and should also transform the ‘other’ side of Valletta.

It has taken a good number of years for the cruise liner industry to really begin to leave a telling impression. Arrivals have always brought us more numbers, but the amount of vessels and people who are now arriving on our shores is pretty impressive to say the least.

It is all about progress. But to progress, one must invest and we should look forward to the next stage of development. Like the decision to allow low cost carriers into Malta, the decision to invest in cruise liner facilities was a good one which is now yielding very positive results.