Cruise Ship Passengers Help Rescue 2009 Malta Holidays

In Europe, all over the Mediterranean traditionally popular holiday islands have seen a sharp drop in the number of people taking holidays, and Malta has been no exception.

But the island is becoming progressively more popular with cruise ships, and last year for example over half a million cruise ship passengers arrived to see what Malta had to offer.

Increasingly many families choose to enjoy their annual holiday with their children in tow. Some cruise lines offer special discounts or exciting packages for people with small children. Child play rooms and kids' programmes offer an exciting experience for children while parents take time out to relax. The typical minimum age to join a children's programme is two or three years old. Some cruise lines also offer special teen activities, including a teen clubhouse.

Cruise for all Ages and Nationalities

Cruises aren't just for honeymooners or retirees anymore - according to the National Statistics Office, European passengers made up 77.8 percent of Malta's cruise ship traffic, with a good number of Canadians and Americans also visiting to enjoy the island's sights and the good Malta weather

More European and North American visitors helped balance out the slight decreases in German and Italian markets. The most populous demographic was the 40-59 age range, followed closely by the 60-79 demographic.

Cruise Ships

Traditionally, cruise ships were used only for the rich and famous or royalty. As such, they developed the reputation of being very large and ritzy. Traditional cruise ships weren't quite built to today's standards, but they were the nicest ships of their time. The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 was built in the 1960's and made her maiden voyage on May 2, 1969. For her time, the QE2 was one of the nicest liners on the open seas. The ship was retired in November 2008 and will serve as a floating hotel in Dubai.

Cruise ships are passenger ships used primarily for pleasure. They have come a long way since the mid 1960s! Many of today's cruise ships have on-deck swimming pools and outdoor game areas. Indoor game areas, nice restaurants, bars and spacious cabins help round out an experience not likely to be forgotten for first-timers. Many people enjoy their first cruise so immensely that they immediately start looking for a great deal for next year's holiday.

Island Cruises

Cruises are much more than just a boat outing! Most cruise ships depart from a port of call near a major city or beach and then travel to several destinations before returning. Each port can be an exciting experience for all cruise ship passengers. Cruises to islands such as Malta, Cyprus, Tonga or the Bahamas may visit each island and allow passengers to spend several hours enjoying the unique atmosphere of each stop. During this time, the ship is generally cleaned, inspected and prepared to continue the trip.

In 2005, just over 300,000 passengers arrived at Malta by way of cruise ship. Two years later, in 2007, that number increased to 487,893. Such high percentage increases are a welcomed sight to Malta's tourism board and economy. Between January 2008 and October 2008, a total of 496,283 passengers arrived in Malta. That is a 16.5 percent increase over the same time frame from 2007. The island continues to set new records each year and the number of cruise ship passengers this year could rise again for 2009.

Additional information for cruise ship passengers visiting not just Malta but Italy too including a Rome weather forecast can be found at travel guide yourmalta.com

Malta news, information and a Malta blog is also on-line.