Total cruise passenger traffic during the fourth quarter of 2020 amounted to 11,825, a decrease of 92.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2019, the NSO said.
There were 16 cruise liner calls during the fourth quarter of 2020, 70 less than the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 11,695.
On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 739 passengers, 1,201 less than the previous year. Passengers from EU Member States amounted to 11,239, the major markets being Italy, Germany and France.
The total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 586. On a gender basis, female passengers made up 51.2 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 20 and 39 years.
January-December 2020
Total cruise passengers for 2020 stood at 59,018, a decrease of 92.3 per cent over 2019. Of these, 67.0 per cent came from EU Member States. The majority of the passengers were females amounting to 30,895 or 52.3 per cent of the total.
Most passengers were between 40 and 59 years old, totalling 19,858. These were followed by passengers aged 60-79 years, reaching 13,617. There were 32 cruise liner calls in 2020, with an average 1,844 passengers per vessel, compared to 359 calls and an average 2,133 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2019.