Valletta Cruise Port looks forward to an excellent 2024
Valletta Cruise Port has announced an exceptional 2023, recording close to 900,000 passenger movements, an impressive increase of more than 65 percent over 2022, which compares very well with 2019 which was a record year.
These details were announced in a press conference by the Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness, Clayton Bartolo and the Chief Executive Officer of Valletta Cruise Port and Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding, Stephen Xuereb.
The cruise industry in Malta has left €85 million in the Maltese economy of which €32 million in spending by cruise passengers with the other €53 million in spending by the cruise lines.
It is estimated that the outlook for the cruise industry during this year will remain positive with over 900,000 passenger movements for 2024.
The Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo expressed Malta’s commitment to the cruise industry particularly fly and cruise. "As a country, we will continue working to have more cruise companies homeporting in Malta. We are committed to support the fly and cruise sector to see it grow further. It is important that we continue to work so that the industry remains based on sustainable foundations," stressed Minister Clayton Bartolo.
The Chief Executive Officer of Valletta Cruise Port and Chief Operations Officer of Global Ports Holding Stephen Xuereb highlighted how Malta's central position in the Mediterranean means that Malta welcomes ships sailing to both the West and East Mediterranean and is a perfect location for cruise ship repositioning. "This industry leaves a substantial impact on the Maltese Islands in economic terms: services to ships and services to passengers; flights to and from Malta with an impact on airlines and the airport, with passengers also having the option of spending several days in our country before or after their cruise. Of note is that the industry has not only achieved full normality post-pandemic, but is expanding with more than 50 brand new ships on the orderbook by cruise lines within 2028, with 11 entering the supply market during 2024. Locally prospects for 2024 are extremely positive and we believe that we will comfortably surpass the 900,000-passenger movement mark," concluded Xuereb.
