Number of cruise passengers plummets

The number of cruise passengers in the first three months of this year was down by 62 per cent over the same period last year, according to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Office. The number of cruise passengers went down from...

The number of cruise passengers in the first three months of this year was down by 62 per cent over the same period last year, according to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Office.

The number of cruise passengers went down from 7,178 to just 2,753.

In March this year, the number of cruise passengers went down by 1,947 over the same month last year to 2,400 from 4,347.

The Federation of Associations of Travel and Tourism Agents (Malta) had warned in February that more than 140 regular cruise liner calls to Malta, carrying an estimated 180,000 passengers, have been cancelled for this year.

The federation believes several cruise liners decided to cancel Malta as a port of call because it would lose the attraction of tax-free shopping on joining the European Union.

Under European tax protocols, cruise liners are only allowed to operate tax-free concessions if their itinerary includes a port of call outside the EU.

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