Valletta Cruise Port, a subsidiary of Global Ports Holding, is the winner of the ‘World’s Best Cruise Terminal for Sustainability 2022’ awarded by the ‘World Cruise Awards’, the company said in a statement.
Stephen Xuereb, COO of Global Ports Holding and CEO of Valletta Cruise Port commented, "It is with great pride to see Valletta Cruise Port and a number of Global Ports Holding ports bagging awards in various categories in this year’s World Cruise Awards. These awards recognize, reward and celebrate excellence in the global cruise sector. Global Ports Holding is indeed focused on continuous improvement, whilst striving to provide the best service to our guests and customers, and simultaneously innovating services in our ports and destinations, and contributing to the communities we operate in.”
Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Valletta Cruise Port annually ushers thousands of passengers, crew members and tourists into Malta’s capital, offering a combination of location, practicality and versatility. Valletta Cruise Port’s terminals are housed in restored buildings located just below the iconic Valletta bastions. These were restored to blend the old and the new whilst respecting the historic fabric. Valletta Cruise Port’s concession covers an area of nearly 5 hectares of land comprising nineteen beautifully restored Baroque 18th century warehouses and ancillary buildings, known as the Valletta Waterfront, an award-winning urban development destination in its own right.
Valletta Cruise Port continues to look to the future and is supporting a €49.9 million initiative spearheaded by the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta to develop shore-side electricity infrastructure as part of the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project. The project includes a €37m investment to provide shore power on the 5 main cruise ship quays of Valletta’s Grand Harbour within 2023, resulting in major air quality improvements with drastic emission reduction.
From an economic perspective, the cruise industry leaves a huge economic impact on the Maltese economy. In 2019, direct expenditure by the cruise industry locally amounted to €83.36 million of which €31 million was expenditure by cruise passengers and €52 million expenditure by cruise lines. As a signatory to UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, Valletta Cruise Port follows a comprehensive set of principles designed to guide key players in tourism development, to help maximise the sector’s benefits and mitigating any potentially undesirable impacts on the environment, cultural heritage and communities.
Valletta Cruise Port understands that the cruise industry and port activity impact the local communities in various ways, and is committed to carry out its activities responsibly, with the aim of leaving a positive impact on the local community. The Valletta Cruise Port Social Club takes a number of additional initiatives to further contribute to the local community with various educational, sportive, environmental, cultural and charitable activities.