Fewer cruise passengers visit Malta despite more ship calls
Italy, the US and the UK remained Malta’s main cruise markets
Cruise passenger traffic in Malta dropped by almost 23% in the first three months of this year, despite a rise in cruise liner calls at the Grand Harbour.
Data released by the National Statistics Office on Friday showed that total cruise passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2026 amounted to 65,247, a drop of 22.9% compared to the same period last year. The majority of the passengers were in transit.
A total of 33 cruise liner calls were recorded during the quarter, two more than in the first three months of 2025.
Most passengers came from Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom.
On average, each vessel that berthed in Malta carried 1,977 passengers, 752 fewer than the previous year, the NSO said.