Over 325,000 Cruise Passengers Visited Malta Between July And September

Malta recorded 325,681 cruise passengers during the third quarter of 2026, marking a 7% decrease compared to the same period last year.

According to figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO), there were 139 cruise liner calls between July and September, one fewer than in the corresponding quarter of 2025.

Transit passengers accounted for 268,114, or 82.3% of all cruise passengers. Each vessel carried an average of 2,343 passengers, 159 fewer than last year.

Passengers from EU Member States made up 56.2% of the total. Italy and Spain were the leading EU markets, accounting for 18.3% and 12.7% of passengers respectively. The UK accounted for 20.8% of all passengers, while 10.6% came from the United States.

Women represented 51.8% of passengers during the quarter. The largest age group was those aged between 40 and 59, accounting for 33%, followed by passengers aged 60 to 79, at 29.8%.

Between January and September, Malta welcomed 647,237 cruise passengers, a 6.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2025.

However, cruise liner calls increased from 294 to 298 during the first nine months of the year. The average number of passengers per vessel fell from 2,351 to 2,172.

During this period, EU citizens accounted for 50.2% of cruise passengers, while women represented 53.2% of the total. Passengers aged between 60 and 79 formed the largest age group, accounting for 35.7%.

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Source: National Statistics Office