Malta’s cruise passenger traffic grows by 4.6% in Q4 2024

In the final quarter of 2024, 176,812 passengers visited the island, marking a 4.6 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to newly released data from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The number of cruise liner calls also saw a notable rise, with 92 vessels berthing in Malta between October and December, up by 10 from the previous year. However, despite the increase in total traffic, the average number of passengers per vessel decreased to 1,922, representing a drop of 140 passengers per ship compared to 2023.

Passenger composition and key markets

Transit passengers remained the dominant category, accounting for 166,564, or 94.2 per cent, of total traffic. European Union (EU) nationals made up 36.2 per cent of the overall cruise arrivals, with Italy (10.2 per cent) and Germany (8.8 per cent) emerging as the primary source markets.

Meanwhile, passengers from non-EU countries totalled 112,806, with the United States accounting for the largest share (44.8 per cent) and the United Kingdom contributing 18.1 per cent.

Gender distribution data indicated that female passengers constituted the majority, making up 54.1 per cent of arrivals. Age-wise, older travellers dominated the cruise market, with 46.2 per cent of passengers falling within the 60-79 age bracket, followed by 40-59-year-olds at 27.4 per cent.

Full-year cruise performance in 2024

Over the course of 2024, Malta welcomed a total of 849,088 cruise passengers. EU nationals accounted for 41.4 per cent of total traffic, while female passengers remained the majority, comprising 53.7 per cent (456,176). Age distribution remained consistent with the quarterly trend, with 317,033 passengers (37.3 per cent) aged between 60 and 79, followed by 256,761 passengers (30.2 per cent) aged between 40 and 59.

In terms of cruise liner activity, 2024 saw 363 calls, a significant increase from the 309 recorded in 2023. However, the average number of passengers per vessel declined from 2,636 in 2023 to 2,339 in 2024, indicating that while more cruise liners docked in Malta, they carried fewer passengers on average.