Majority of cruise tourists still from UK and US, with seniors leading demographic
According to the latest report by the National Statistics Office (NSO), Malta welcomed 123 cruise liner calls in the second quarter of 2025 – five fewer than in the same period last year – as the island saw a modest dip in cruise traffic. Despite the decline, the total number of cruise passengers reached 256,410for Q2, with 82.1% classified as transit passengers. Each vessel carried an average of 2,084 passengers, a slight drop from 2024 levels.
While 39.3% of passengers were from EU countries, non-EU visitors made up the majority, with 155,476 passengers. The UK (37%) and the US (33.1%) were the dominant markets. Among EU countries, Italy (11.5%) and Germany (7.7%) topped the list.
Female tourists outnumbered men, comprising 54.7% of total passengers in Q2. Seniors continued to dominate the cruise market, with 41.4% aged 60-79 and 28.3% aged 40-59.
From January to June 2025, 340,923 cruise passengers arrived in Malta. EU nationals made up 43.6%, while females represented 53.1% of total visitors. The dominant age group remained 60–79 years (38.2%).
There were 154 cruise liner calls in the first half of 2025 – up from 147 calls in the same period last year – though average vessel capacity decreased slightly, from 2,384 passengers in 2024 to 2,214 this year.
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