22 July marks another milestone for our cruise line industry. Five cruise-ships from five different major cruise companies called in the Grand Harbour with over 14,000 passengers on board in addition to more than 5,000 crew members.

Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis remarked that this is an important day for the tourism industry in Malta as it is testament to the ongoing and proactive collaboration between the various public entities and the private sector that collaborate effectively together to ensure that such huge cruise operations are possible and managed in the most professional and efficient manner.

'Today we had the opportunity to showcase the highlights of our islands to over 14,000 cruise passengers and more than 5,000 crew members that are all potential repeat visitors who can decide to return to our shores for a longer stay in the future. Undoubtedly, many of the cruise passengers who visited our shores today shall also be sharing their experiences through social media, reaching out to many others who can also be enticed to choose our islands as their next destination of choice'.

'Although 2015 has started rather slow in respect to cruise arrivals, it is of great satisfaction to note that we witnessed a remarkable turnaround during the second quarter according to the latest figures published this morning by the National Statistics Office. Between April and June, 108 port calls were registered with a total of more than 205,224 passengers onboard. This equates to an increase of more than 66% in cruise line passengers when compared to the same period of last year. These record-breaking figures even surpass those registered in 2012', stated Minister Zammit Lewis.

Moreover, the minister explained that the Valletta Cruise Port is expecting to handle an estimated 325 calls with approximately 640,000 passenger movements by the end of this year. Looking ahead to 2016, although bookings are ongoing, latest data indicates that 2016 shall be another very positive year registering further growth on 2015.