Malta’s tourism industry continues to grow with the help of Mediterranean cruise ships. With the arrival of Carnival Cruise Line in Valletta Cruise Port, Malta extends its tourism reach further to American travelers needed to diversify Malta’s cruise line market. Last year set a record for the island nation, with 307 cruise ships making port in the Grand Harbour of Valletta. Over the course of 2015, Malta saw more than 670,000 cruise passengers, a 30 percent increase from 2014. “There is no doubt that the cruise market has taken on an importance within Malta’s tourism industry. A substantial number of first-time cruise visitors return for a longer stay, generating further business for the growing tourism industry,” said Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis, minister of tourism, Malta. “Malta has just registered an exceptional number of cruise tourists this winter. Seventeen cruise ships called in Malta’s port between January and March 2016, eight more than last year. Nearly 40,000 passengers arrived in Malta in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 90 percent over the same period of 2015.” This year, Valletta Cruise Port will welcome more than 74 cruise ships from among the Carnival brands, including Costa and AIDA, for more than 150,000 passengers. “Valletta Cruise Port has just invested €1.5 million in Forni Terminal to accommodate the increasing flows of passengers onboard the larger ships,” said Stephen Xuereb, CEO, Valletta Cruise Port.