Cruise line to return, bringing 30,000 passengers

Pullmantur Cruises will be returning to Malta after an absence of three years, Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech announced yesterday.

He said that this will contribute towards Viset's target of between 420,000 and 425,000 passengers this year.

Dr Zammit Dimech announced the re-introduction of Pullmantur Cruises to Malta on a regular basis during a press conference at the Valletta Waterfront yesterday.

Pullmantur Cruises is expected to bring over around 30,000 passengers between June and September this year, he said.

Pullmantur's TSS Sky Wonder, which is the company's flagship, shall call at Valletta 21 times. The ship carries 1,550 passengers and weighs 47,000 tons.

The cruising industry is a fast growing sector and last year 408,046 passengers came to Malta aboard cruise liners - an increase of 87,740 or 7.4 per cent.

The minister said that cruise passengers also had a direct bearing on the tourism sector, pointing out that according to a survey undertaken by Malta Cruise Network, 85.5 per cent of cruise passengers are interested in returning to Malta in the future.

Cruise liners, he continued, were also contributing about Lm13 million yearly to the economy. This contribution would not have been possible if there had not been the synergy between all stakeholders in this industry - Viset, Malta International Airport, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Malta Maritime Authority - which were all working hard to attract more cruise passengers to the island and turn it into a home port for cruise liners.

The Minister thanked Pullmantur agents Mondial for its initiatives and for contributing towards Malta's tourism sector. He also thanked Viset for its investment and for its continuous initiatives towards the cruise industry.

Mondial Holidays and Viset Malta were represented at the press conference. Also present were Sam Mifsud, chairman of the Malta tourism Authority.