27 January - 2 February 2000

MMA achieves unprecedented records

For the third consecutive year, the Malta Maritime Authority has achieved unprecedented records for cruise activity at the Port of Valletta.

In 1999, 193,000 passengers visited Valletta on board 248 cruise liners. These figures represent a new high in the concluding year of the century with a 31 per cent and 16 per cent increase respectively on the previous year's record figures.

The gross tonnage of cruise liners calling at the Port of Valletta is also 29 per cent greater than the previous year's total cruise vessel GT. This signals an ever-increasing size of the average cruise vessel visiting Malta.

These statistics indicate a trebling of cruise passenger figures over the last five years. It is also worth noting that passengers using Malta as a turnaround point increased by almost 33 per cent.

While record years such as last year's are encouraging for the Malta Maritime Authority, the chairman of the Malta Maritime Authority, Edward Woods attributed such a success to the cohesive effort made by all organisations involved.

Dr Woods stated that "a cruise operator views a destination as a whole and thus all the industry must deliver an integrated product to all cruise passengers and operators. We extend our thanks to both the cruise operators who have placed their faith in our abilities and to the local cruise industry who has contributed in achieving this success".

The executive director (Ports) Charles Schembri commented that "the cruise business continues to expand and Malta is at the forefront in providing modern facilities and efficient port services to support that growth".

Although the same five nationalities continue to command around 80 per cent of Malta's cruise passenger market, the composition of their market shares has changed once again.

The UK and US market retained their respective placings at the top of this list, with 35 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. The German and Italian markets doubled their presence, commanding 15 per cent and six per cent of the market respectively.

They are trailed by the French market which now commands a five per cent share. Another notable presence for Malta in 1999 was that of the Scandinavian countries which, together, now occupy another five per cent of the market.

Like other years, 1999 was characterised by a number of maiden calls to Valletta by such vessels as Hapag Lloyd's new Europa, RCI's Legend of the Seas, Cunard's Sea Goddess II, Airtours' Sun Bird and Sun Dream, Radisson Seven Seas' Song of Flower and MSC's Melody.

Moreover, it is worth mentioning that Malta was included in the maiden voyage of Festival Cruises' Mistral, after its much-publicised inauguration in France. It also featured in the itineraries of Celebrity Cruises' inaugural season in the Mediterranean, with the Century.

With these new introductions, Malta thus continues to consolidate the support it enjoys from all the renowned cruise liners operating in the Mediterranean. A quick look at the class distribution of the vessels visiting Malta reveals a confirmation of the shift recorded in recent years, from the standard and economy category to the deluxe category.

However, the relatively even distribution of the class composition of Valletta's market reflects the appeal Malta has to all kinds of cruise passengers. This is further confirmed by the range of cruise niches to which the visiting vessels belong. With the super deluxe class holding the same percentage share and both the deluxe plus and deluxe classes gaining a further eight percentage points, the deluxe category now, commands almost 56 per cent of the market, as opposed to the 49 per cent it had in 1998.

Commenting on the Authority's result for 1999, the Minister for Transport and Communications, Censu Galea said, "A look at 1999 cruise figures, leave no doubt that Malta would be looking at its future in cruise tourism with great optimism. The challenges ahead are difficult but Malta has been successfully meeting these challenges for over 10 years."

The minister also commented that "the Port of Valletta is currently in the midst of an expansion plan which includes the construction of a new cruise passenger terminal, reconstruction of key roadways and the development of the whole waterfront. Talks with regarding this project are in the final stages".

As preliminary reservations for 2000 suggest another successful year, the Malta Maritime Authority continues with its full commitment to enhancing a better service to the cruise industry.