Malta is one of the top two best EU countries when it comes to attracting tourism throughout the whole year, Prime Minister Robert Abela said.

During an event at the Valletta Cruise port, for which the media was not invited, the PM explained how Malta is now experiencing figures that are very close to pre-pandemic levels and he pointed out that Malta is addressing the challenge of seasonal tourism.

The Prime Minister visited the Valletta Cruise Port where he met with the management and workers.

The Valletta Cruise Port operates in an area of ​​48,000m2, which includes nineteen 18th century renovated warehouses.

The cruise liner industry generates over €80 million per year, with slightly less than half of this figure being direct expenditure by cruise liner passengers.

Nowadays, The Grand Harbour is not only a port where passengers disembark, as it also serves as a main port with many tourists starting and ending their journey in Malta.

During the visit, Abela desribed the job of the workers of the Valletta Cruise Port as a very important one, especially now in the tourism field.

In the presence of the CEO of the Valletta Cruise Port Stephen Xuereb, the PM noted the optimism during summer among tourist operators, especially after they showed resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Xuereb said that this year, the Valletta Cruise Port is estimating to welcome half a million passengers and said that next year a greater movement of passengers is also expected.

The PM also mentioned the shore to ship environmental project, which ensures that the pollution in the air caused by ships docked in the Great Port decreases by 90%.

The Valletta Cruise Port fully believes in the future of the cruise liner industry and is also contributing to a clean air project in the Grand Port.

Xuereb announced that for the second consecutive year, the Valletta Cruise Port has been nominated as the best Cruise Terminal in Europe and is also nominated as the best cruise terminal in the world in terms of sustainability.