Cruise liners crowd Grand Harbour

Seven cruise liners, carrying more than 7,000 passengers, sailed into Grand Harbour yesterday and Pinto Wharf was a hive of activity, underlining the positive start to cruise liner tourism this year.

One of the vessels, the Minerva II, concluded its voyage in Malta and has now entered the Malta Drydocks for maintenance before she welcomes on board a new set of passengers starting their cruise next week.

"It has been an excellent day for Valletta Waterfront and for an array of different sectors within the Maltese economy," Valletta Waterfront's business manager Dirk Spiteri Lucas said.

Valletta Waterfront is the name given to the development of a cruise liner terminal complex that will include leisure and commercial activities.

"Apart from the obvious boost which 7,000 arrivals provide, we have also seen activity generated for Malta International Airport and the Malta Drydocks, both of which are benefiting from the fact that the Minerva II is terminating and starting its cruises from here," he added.

Moreover, more than 60 coaches were used for organised tours and some 120 taxis spent the day transporting passengers.

Apart from the Minerva II, the cruise ships calling at Valletta Waterfront today were the Astoria, the Costa Tropicale, the Sapphire, the New Flamenco, the Costa Victoria and the Insignia.

These arrivals meant that all the quays along Pinto Wharf were in use throughout the day.

Official figures show that in January and February alone cruise arrivals increased by 7,325 passengers over the same period last year.

"Valletta Waterfront has always insisted that 2005 would be a good year for cruise passenger arrivals and the figures published so far bear this out," Mr Spiteri Lucas said.