Cruise passenger arrivals equal to last year in second quarter
Three more liners called in the second quarter of this year
Cruise passenger arrivals in the second quarter of this year were equal to last year, although three more liners arrived in Malta this year, the NSO said on Wednesday.
Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2026 amounted to 256,369. There were 126 cruise liner calls.
Passengers from EU Member States comprised 43.5 per cent of total traffic. The major markets were Italy, accounting for 11.0 per cent of the total passengers, followed by Germany, with 7.7 per cent. The total number of passengers from non-EU countries stood at 144,795, where the United Kingdom accounted for 24.8 per cent and 15per cent came from the United States.
On a gender basis, female passengers made up 55.1 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 60-79 age bracket (43.3 per cent) and were followed by those aged between 40 and 59 years (27.1 per cent).
January-June 2026
During the first half of 2026, total cruise passengers stood at 321,616. Of these, 44.1 per cent came from EU Member States.
There were 159 cruise liner calls during the first two quarters of the year, with an average of 2,023 passengers per vessel, compared to 154 calls and an average of 2,214 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2025.