In the first quarter of 2024, the total number of cruise passengers reached 76,562, marking a 6.4 percent increase from the same period last year.
Although there were 19 cruise liner calls during this quarter, which is two fewer than the previous year, transit passengers constituted the vast majority, totaling 73,372 (95.8 percent).
On average, each berthed vessel in Malta accommodated 4,030 passengers, an increase of 602 compared to the previous year.
Passengers from EU Member States constituted 62.7 percent of the total traffic, with Italy being the largest market at 28.4 percent, followed by Spain at 11.3 percent.
Non-EU countries contributed 28,584 passengers, with the United Kingdom accounting for 21.9 percent and the United States for 14.5 percent.
Regarding gender distribution, female passengers comprised 52.4 percent of the total. The majority of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket (32.4 percent), followed by those aged 60 to 79 years (25.9 percent).
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Source: NSO