Costa Cruises will increase its calls in Valletta (Malta) in 2020. During a press conference on board the Costa Fascinosa, the turnaround cruises starting and ending in Malta were presented, which will have 32 departures from the end of March to the beginning of November in 2020.
Costa Cruises is a valued visitor to Valletta, having carried over 474,000 passengers on nearly 200 calls between 2014 and 2018. Stephen Xuereb, CEO of Valletta Cruise Port and COO of Global Ports Holding, commented: “We are pleased that after a four-year absence, Costa will reintroduce calls in the third quarter of 2020. This means that in 2020, we will receive approximately 110,000 passenger movements on board from a total of 37 calls, compared to 38,000 passenger movements on board from 18 calls in 2019.”.
The Honorable Minister of Tourism, Konrad Mizzi, emphasized the positive impact of the cruise industry on the local economy, as it forms part of a broader range of subsectors and activities. Valletta Cruise Port is expected to handle over 800,000 passenger movements in 2019. He further noted that the Ministry, in collaboration with other stakeholders, is developing a new tourism strategy, “Vision 2025,” which includes the cruise sector. This vision will be finalized by the end of the year.
