The Independent report on cruise passengers and how a good number would like to visit the island again:

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday went on a tour of the Valletta Waterfront and even boarded two cruise liners which were berthed at the port at the time.

“Having won the award of being the Best Port in the Mediterranean last year, as voted by cruise liner visitors, the Valletta Waterfront is today celebrating the fifth year from its inauguration in 2005.

“Viset, the company in charge of the management of the Valletta Waterfront, and other private investors have invested over €37 million to make this area one of the stand-out features of the whole of Malta,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister was greeted by Viset CEO John Portelli, entrepreneur Anglu Xuereb and other members of Viset’s management team, and shortly after arriving, he was taken on a tour of the company’s offices, stopping to exchange pleasantries with members of Viset staff.

At one point, Dr Gonzi remarked that there is always something new to learn about Valletta, even though he was personally born and bred in the city.

He made reference to the fortifications boat tour last week, during which he was “surprised to hear that a priest would, back in the old times, celebrate mass at the Guardiola from the Upper Barrakka gardens, and his voice was so deep that a large gathering would turn up on the opposite side of the harbour to hear and celebrate Mass with him”.

The Prime Minister was then taken onboard the AIDA Bella and MSC Splendida cruise liners, meeting the managers and captains of the ships and sharing the odd joke or two.

He later added: “Since June 2002, 3.5 million tourists on board cruise liners have stopped at the Valletta Waterfront, with 2008 alone seeing half a million tourists stopping by.

“Recent statistics have revealed that as many as 85 per cent of tourists on board cruise liners want to visit Malta again, having been impressed by what they have seen of the country during the short time they have roaming around the country’s capital city.

“Signs for this year appear encouraging. Up until June, 203,000 cruise liner passengers stopped by the Valletta Waterfront, an increase of 50.4 per cent when compared to the first six months of last year.

“Moreover, according to statistics released by the European Cruise Shipping Council, the total revenue generated by tourists who visited the Valletta Waterfront last year stood at €26 million.

“This goes to show how important the restoration and renovation of the Valletta Waterfront has been to Malta’s tourism industry in recent years,” said Dr Gonzi.

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Valletta

Gozonews.com report on the first quarter’s cruise ship arrivals in Malta:

In March 25,533 passengers came to Malta aboard 10 cruise liners. 98 per cent of passengers were in transit.

March 2010

Total cruise passenger traffic amounted to 25,533, and the number of transit passengers stood at 25,030. During March an increase of 20,480 passengers was registered when compared to the previous year, mainly attributed to an increase of 7 cruise liner calls. Passengers from EU countries made up for 78.9 per cent of the total traffic. The Italian market ranked the highest, and was closely followed by the German. Moreover, same-day visitors from Non-EU markets stood at 5,392, of which 43.9 per cent were from the United States.

January-March 2010

Total cruise passenger traffic for the first quarter amounted to 45,964, an increase of 44.5 per cent over the comparative period last year. Visitors from EU countries accounted for 72.6 per cent of total traffic. Cruise passengers coming from Germany, Italy and France registered an increase whereas drops were recorded in the British and Spanish markets.

More news about Malta can be found at yourmalta.com - to find out what cruise passengers really think visit twitter

Passenger ships, also known as cruise ships or cruise liners, have been a very important part of travel life as we know it. Early cruise ships were built with more functionality in mind than comfort or leisure. Their purpose was to travel the oceans and seas, delivering passengers and goods to distant places. Transatlantic crossings took several days and were often perilous. The journey between North America and Europe was never shorter than four days. The introduction of steamships made the trip safer, faster and more reliable.

As cruise ships became a more popular and viable form of travel, the ships became ever more luxurious. The Titanic is probably the most famous cruise ship ever - for all the wrong reasons. Construction of the ship included ballrooms, luxurious dining areas and staterooms. The Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world, and many people looked forward to her maiden voyage. Because of the tragic events that followed, many maritime laws were passed to ensure the safety of future luxury ship voyages.

Today, millions of passengers each year take advantage of the accommodations a variety of cruise ships have to offer. These massive ships are built with comfort in mind. In recent years, they’ve been used as vacation getaways, taking passengers on fantastic voyages lasting several days or a week. A few remote destinations in the world may only be visited by cruise ships, airplane or helicopter. Some of the most popular destinations for cruise ships are the Caribbean, the Balearic Islands, Europe and Alaska.

Retired Cruise Ships Become Much More

The introduction of air travel and cheap holidays caused a decline in the number of passengers on cruise ships. Many people chose to fly in lieu of setting sail on a cruise ship simply because it was faster. Fortunately for tourists who enjoy water travel, many cruise ships still operate today. More cruise ships are being added often to accommodate the growing number of people who enjoy cruising.

When the time comes to retire a cruise ship, they are often put to use in other areas. The SS United States, or “The Big U” as it is often called, made its maiden voyage in 1952. It has been out of service since 1969 and is currently docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awaiting a new future. The Big U still holds the record for the fastest westbound transatlantic crossing.

The RMS Queen Mary was one of the most spectacular ships of her time. She played a very important part in World War II. One of her passengers was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whom she carried across the Atlantic for meetings. In 1942, she captured and still holds the record for the most passengers ever transported on one ship. She carried 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain. The Queen Mary is now berthed in Long Beach, California, where she serves as a hotel and museum.

The  Queen Elizabeth 2, commonly known as QE2, is one of the most recent ships to be decommissioned. The QE2 commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1969. In 1999, she celebrated her 30th anniversary in Southampton. Her 30 years of service had seen almost 5 million nautical miles and carried more than 2 million passengers.

The QE2 was given a multi million dollar makeover in 1999 that included refurbishing several rooms and cabins. Since 2004, she’s made several trips to the Mediterranean. She is now moored at Port Rashid in Dubai, where she will be converted to a floating hotel.

Not all decommissioned cruise ships are forgotten and left to rust. Many cruise ships have been retired and go on to become hotels, a casino, museums and luxury restaurants. Millions of passengers per year enjoy cruises to the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and many other exotic or remote destinations. Those ships become a special point in the memories of the passengers who enjoyed the trip. The ability to turn those ships into floating hotels or other tourist attractions is a great asset to the tourism industry.

Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta. Malta welcomes over 500,000 cruise ship passengers a year.

Malta last year for example attracted over half a miillion cruise ship visitors - a record for the island, and a real boost for the holidays in Malta industry as it faces the recession.