Our vision is a bold one – one which requires sustained action on several fronts to see Malta, Gozo (including Comino and the north of Malta) and The Three Cities become the main beneficiaries. It is a long-term strategy as cruise lines typically plan a minimum of two to three years ahead.
1. Create incentives for turnarounds and homeporting in Valletta
This is a golden opportunity for Malta to make its mark with cruise itinerary planners. Homeporting has significant collateral economic benefits as it feeds the entire tourism ecosystem (airlines, airport, port, hotels, restaurants, transportation, shops, etc).
Financial incentives, such as rebates on port and air passenger taxes could be an attractive proposition to some cruise principals. However, to increase the proportion of luxury lines, it must not be linked to volume and neither frequency. Luxury lines seek to avoid repeating the same itinerary and they appreciate having fast-track lanes, rapid transfers to hotel or ship, elegant check-in facilities and possibly also an exclusive berth away from the mega ships.
There needs to be a sustained drive to attract homeporting as this brings with it bed nights for pre- and post-cruise stays, crew accommodation, medical services, provisions, shopping, entertainment, and dining, while also securing increased airline capacity that may be used for regular tourism too.
I see this as a unique opportunity for World Heritage site Valletta and its boutique hotels becoming part of the lure of using Malta as a homeport. The marque ports in the Mediterranean are Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Palma de Mallorca, Venice, Piraeus and others which are close to world-renowned cities and the mainland. Malta must punch above its weight and make its claims to be rich in culture and history showcasing works by Caravaggio, Renzo Piano and its UNESCO sites together with safety and hospitality and the often-overlooked facts that we are English-speaking and have excellent medical facilities.
Furthermore, I would also highlight that Malta’s stakeholders (airport, port, hotels, transportation companies, agents, ground operators) work seamlessly as one team and efficiently. We need excellent connectivity to those source destinations that Malta needs (e.g., Germany, Italy, France, Norway, the UK and, especially the US, via airline alliances).
Last year, we broke the mould and saw direct flights from New York for Viking cruise passengers. This clearly demonstrated that fly-cruise operations form the US can succeed for the premium, expedition and luxury market with ships of a capacity typically under a thousand guests. I truly believe that attracting the likes of this sector will bring to Malta the much-desired, high-spend tourist that is so lucrative to the local ecosystem.
2. To increase the visibility of Gozo as a supplementary cruise destination
My company launched the ‘Cruise Gozo’ concept back in 2006 and it has been growing steadily since then. Well over a hundred calls have been handled between 2006–2022, ranging from ships with a passenger capacity of 100 guests to 2,000 guests. With careful destination micromanagement it can be done. Still, the potential is huge!
Cruise tourism injects money in several Gozitan businesses − coaches, guides, shops, bars, taxis, water taxis, Heritage Malta sites and numerous artisans. What encouraged the cruise lines to add Gozo to Valletta was the short sailing distance (thus lower fuel consumption and emissions) plus minimal port charges.
On top of that, again since the call is on anchor, Gozo is perceived as an exotic destination, thus more guests go ashore (by tender) and with larger numbers on shore excursions. This increases the ship’s onboard revenue (shore excursions are an important onboard revenue generator and thus has a big influence on the choice of ports at itinerary planning stage). Furthermore, more guests go ashore independently, and this has a further direct impact on the local economy. Guests often comment that they are taken by surprise at Gozo’s unique charm and hospitality complemented by a variety of things to see, including an awesome UNESCO site, Ġgantija.
The Maltese islands should offer a more holistic approach as a cruise destination now and in the future
3. Senglea Wharf
I believe that the Maltese islands should offer a more holistic approach as a cruise destination now and in the future.
Luxury cruise ships like the idea of having an exclusive berth for several reasons, but perhaps the most important is to keep away from the mega liners that can lead to overcrowding in the port destination. So it would be most advantageous to utilise Senglea Wharf (Boiler), not as a spillover berth but primarily as a boutique cruise quay (note that I have not used the word ‘terminal’).
Port agents and ground operators will need to make sure that the cruise planners are aware of this possibility and recalibrate the tours and port descriptions to reflect this and integrate the Three Cities and the south of Malta as beneficiaries of this new tourism in their region.
We (MBL) have studied this matter in depth and can make some pertinent suggestions. A rethink and some investment in the basic facilities (marques, seating areas, restrooms) would go a long way to divert quality cruise tourism growth to this hidden gem called Senglea as shown in our artist’s impression and avoid congestion in those areas most frequently visited when cruise ships are on the Valletta side.
A holistic action plan for this is needed. If berthage fees and service charges are competitive, this could be a big lure to attract more small/medium ships to The Three Cities and push tourism to these less explored yet very fascinating areas which still offer a glimpse of Malta of yesteryear.
4. The ‘Green Card’
Most of the new generation luxury/adventure cruise lines are adopting more green practices and many are ship-to-shore ready.
Works to provide ship-to-shore connections are advancing well. Once in operation, the project will give impetus to the ‘greener’ cruise tourism concept which, in turn, will stimulate Malta’s standing in the luxury segment. If the ships do a turnaround, guests will stay with us longer (before/ after the cruise) in luxury hotels and enjoy our restaurants, sightseeing and shopping.
If, on top of this, the whole support ecosystem pivots to a more sustainable mode, it would create a stronger case for Malta as a sustainable destination. Being associated with sustainable cruise lines further enhances Malta’s green credentials. This dovetails with the MTA Tourism Cruise Strategy for 2021–2030 goals which aims for further evolution of the cruise industry in line with developing global trends and with a view of converting cruise passengers into eventual land tourists.
The desired result
We are convinced that with the right vision and management, the cruise sector can have a positive impact on the revitalisation of our tourism sector. Cruise planners need to be convinced of the new mantra of the cruise industry: ‘Safety, feeling safe and the visibility of safety’.
By actively promoting Gozo as a supplementary cruise destination to Valletta, adding Senglea as a competitive (and refurbished) cruise quay for small/medium (max 1,000 guests), Malta will have a healthier mix of smaller, medium, and large cruise vessels homeporting, doing turnarounds and port calls that would spread the economic benefit to many stakeholders more sustainably in both islands while boosting Malta’s image as an upmarket destination which will also have another collateral benefit of enticing guests back for leisure holidays and/or luxury travel and MICE events.
As a rule, the smaller the ship, the more upmarket the clientele, and these typically prefer to explore the destination in a meaningful manner, spending more time and money. Thus it would benefit everyone if more small-/medium-sized luxury/expedition vessels would frequent the Maltese islands more.
Ivan Mifsud is a board member of the Malta Maritime Forum (MMF) and managing director of Mifsud Brothers Ltd DBA Malta Cruise Services. The opinions expressed in this article are those of Mifsud in his latter capacity and may not necessarily reflect the views of the MMF.