Malta Eyes Luxury Cruise Growth and Homeporting Expansion

Malta is working to attract more boutique cruise ships and expand homeporting operations, according to Arthur Grima, director of marketing for the Malta Tourism Authority.

In 2025, in addition to 4 million tourists, the destination welcomed 870,560 cruise passengers who visited the country as part of 387 calls.

While overall passenger volume increased by 2.5 percent compared to the previous year, the average number of guests per vessel dropped from 2,339 to 2,250.

According to Grima, the change is related to Malta’s interest in appealing to smaller, more manageable cruise vessels.

“We are attracting a lot of these boutique, smaller ships,” Grima said, highlighting new operations from high-end operators like Ponant, Four Seasons, Orient Express and Aman.

“These are the types of brands and vessels that we are prioritizing because they help us mitigate the crowds. When you have a large ship coming in and 7,000 people enter Valletta at one go, it doesn’t create a nice impression,” he told Cruise Industry News.

In addition to this new focus on smaller vessels, Malta is also expanding the number of overnight cruise calls. The destination saw nearly 46,000 cruisers stay overnight in 2025, up from roughly 30,000 in 2024.

Grima highlighted the economic impact of the longer stays, noting that Malta continues to push for more homeporting business in Valletta.

He said that homeporting operations drive a higher economic impact with pre- and post-cruise hotel stays and additional onshore spending.

Central to the homeporting strategy is the North American market, Grima explained. Guests from the U.S. and Canada currently represent 21 percent of Malta’s total cruise arrivals, making the region the destination’s top source market.

To capitalize on this demographic, Malta is leveraging a new direct Delta Air Lines flight from New York (JFK) launching this June.

“The new Delta flight is a game-changer for us,” Grima said. “It will provide seamless connections for the American visitor. Homeporting is important for us because it works hand in hand with our aviation strategy. It improves connectivity, so it triggers demand both ways.”

The island’s appeal to these passengers and tourists is based on what Grima described as a 9,000-year history.

He said that Malta serves as a historical crossroads of civilizations and offers a unique cultural mix, including a Semitic language written in Latin script and a gastronomy that blends Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors.

Grima added that beyond its Grand Harbour, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the destination is highlighted by the world’s only underground megalithic temple, the Hypogeum, as well as medieval walled cities like Mdina.

To manage visitor flow and enhance sustainability, Malta is also promoting excursions to the island of Gozo via a 60-minute catamaran connection from Valletta.

Smaller ships can also visit Gozo directly and take advantage of a dedicated cruise buoy that facilitates tender operations, he added.

Grima noted that spreading the passenger load across the archipelago is a key pillar of the destination’s long-term strategy.

On the infrastructure side, Valletta Cruise Port can currently accommodate up to six ships simultaneously, including four large vessels and two smaller ones.

The port is also advancing its sustainability efforts through shore power infrastructure, which allows docked ships to turn off their engines and eliminate local emissions.

Malta is also investing in other infrastructure initiatives for tourists, including an expansion of the country’s airport and growth in its hotel inventory with brands like Hard Rock, which is opening a property on the island soon.

“We want the visitors to join us and enjoy our culture. We want them to visit as tourists and leave as locals,” Grima said.

“We see the cruisers as a ‘good investment’ because a lot of them return to Malta for longer stays afterward.”

Photo: Arthur Grima, director of marketing for the Malta Tourism Authority with Michelle Buttigieg, North America Representative Malta Tourism Authority.