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While up to last year cruise liners were only calling at Malta for daily visits, this year a number of cruise liner companies are using Malta as a home port where cruises start and end, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech forecast this week.
The home port concept carries an added value since tourists fly to Malta, usually stay in a hotel at least overnight, from where they start and end their cruise.
Last year a total of 389,456 tourists visited Malta on cruise liners. So far this year, there was a decline in visitors but the numbers are now appear to be once again on the rise.
Costa Crociere, which forms part of the World’s Leading Cruise Lines – drawing the world’s leading cruise liners companies together, is to launch the Costa Magica cruise liner with an inaugural itinerary for 2005 that includes Malta as a regular port of call for 31 Mediterranean cruises on 3 November.
Local agents SMS have taken an allocation of cabins on the Costa Magica, which are being marketed both for local residents as well as for tourists to whom they are offering ‘Cruise & Stay’. During 2005 Costa Crociere is to schedule an additional 22 cruise calls with tourists calling at Malta’s Grand Harbour a total of 53 times.
Dr Zammit Dimech at a joint press conference with directors from SMS yesterday launched the ‘Cruise and Stay’ operation by Costa Crociere for 2005.
“Cruise holidays are on the increase worldwide and Malta is on the itinerary of most cruise liner companies that cruise the Mediterranean. The Cruise Liner Passenger Terminal project, which is due for completion, contributed to a number of cruise liner companies to include Malta in their cruises,” Dr Zammit Dimech commented. He adds, “The ‘Cruise and Stay’ concept is an added value to what Malta has to offer in the cruise liner segment.”
Dr Zammit Dimech pledged that the government will continue to do its utmost to build the necessary infrastructure for cruise liners, adding that he was thankful to all those who are supporting the initiative through their operations from Malta.
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