The Port of Valletta Cruises has announced an exceptional 2023, recording nearly 900,000 passenger movements, an increase of more than 65% compared to 2022, which is compared to 2019, which was a record year.
These details were announced at a press conference by the Minister of Tourism and Public Cleansing, Clayton Bartolo, and the Chief Executive of the Port of Valletta Cruises and Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding, Stephen Xuereb.
The outlook for the cruise industry this year is expected to remain positive, with over 900,000 passenger movements projected for 2024.
The Minister of Tourism, Clayton Bartolo, expressed Malta's commitment to the cruise sector, particularly flights and cruises. “As a country, we will continue working to attract more cruise lines to be based in Malta (Valletta). We are committed to supporting the flight and cruise sector so that it continues to grow. It is important that we continue working to ensure the sector remains built on sustainable foundations.”
Stephen Xuereb, Chief Executive of the Port of Cruises Valletta and Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding,highlighted how Malta's central position in the Mediterranean makes it a perfect location for cruise ship repositioning, welcoming vessels sailing both to the western and eastern Mediterranean.
“This industry has a substantial economic impact on the Maltese islands: services to ships and services to passengers; flights to and from Malta with an impact on airlines and the airport, with passengers also having the option of spending several days in our country before or after their cruise.”.
“It is worth noting that the sector has not only returned to full normality after the pandemic, but is also expanding with more than 50 new ships on order for cruise lines by 2028, and 11 more entering the supply market during 2024. The local outlook for 2024 is extremely positive, and we believe we will easily surpass the 900,000 passenger mark,” Xuereb concluded.
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