Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2026 amounted to 256,369, at par with the same quarter of the previous year, the NSO said Wednesday.

There were 126 cruise liner calls during the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 3 when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 208,068 (81.2 per cent). On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 2,035 passengers, 49 fewer than the previous year. 

Passengers from EU Member States comprised 43.5 per cent of total traffic. The major markets were Italy, accounting for 11.0 per cent of the total passengers, followed by Germany, with 7.7 per cent. The total number of passengers from non-EU countries stood at 144,795, where the United Kingdom accounted for 24.8 per cent of the total passengers and 15.0 per cent came from the United States.

On a gender basis, female passengers made up 55.1 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 60-79 age bracket (43.3 per cent) and were followed by those aged between 40 and 59 years (27.1 per cent).

January-June 2026

During the first half of 2026, total cruise passengers stood at 321,616. Of these, 44.1 per cent came from EU Member States.

The majority of the passengers were females, amounting to 175,798 or 54.7 per cent of the total. Most passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, totalling 134,098 (41.7 per cent). These were followed by passengers aged 40-59 years, reaching 87,152 (27.1 per cent).

There were 159 cruise liner calls during the first two quarters of the year, with an average of 2,023 passengers per vessel, compared to 154 calls and an average of 2,214 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2025.