7,966 cruise passengers managed to enjoy a brief stay in Malta in the first quarter of this year, despite COVID-19, official figures issued on Wednesday show.

Arrivals, as expected, were down 80% during the period as the cruise industry was ravaged by the pandemic.

Although the number of cruise ship arrivals in the three months was nine, the same as in the first quarter of 2020, the ships carried far fewer passengers. On average, each vessel carried 885 passengers, 3,579 less than the previous year. 

EU nationals comprised the largest share of total cruise passengers during the period under review, at 94.7 per cent. The major market was Italy with 5,854 passengers, accounting for 73.5 per cent of the total passengers.

The total number of cruise passengers from non-EU countries during the quarter under review stood at 421, of whom 14.3 per cent were United States nationals.

The largest share of passengers, 37.7 per cent, fell within the 40 to 59 age bracket, followed by the 20 to 39 category, at 28.6 per cent