Total cruise passenger traffic during the first half of 2026 amounted to 321,616, the National Statistics Office said, a 5.7 per cent decrease when compared to the same period in 2025.
The majority, 272,344, were transit passengers (cruise passengers who arrive in and leave Malta on the same cruise ship).
256,369 of the total number of cruise passengers came in the second quarter.
There were 159 cruise liner calls during the first two quarters of the year, with an average of 2,023 passengers per vessel, compared to 154 calls and an average of 2,214 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2025.
The majority of the cruise liner calls this year (126) were in the second quarter.
The majority of the passengers in the first half of the year were females, amounting to 175,798 or 54.7 per cent of the total. Of the 256,369 cruise passengers, 141,929 were EU nationals and 179,687 were from outside the EU.
Most passengers were between 60 and 79 years old, totalling 134,098 (41.7 per cent). These were followed by passengers aged 40-59 years, reaching 87,152 (27.1 per cent).
Featured image: Alonso Reyes/Unsplash
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