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beckyreporting · 6 months ago

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Navigating Benefits and Challenges: The Impact of Cruise Liners on the Maltese Islands

November 26, 2024 // Yasmine Micallef & Rebecca Borg

Due to its rich historical attractions and culture, Malta has become one of the most popular cruise line destinations. Aside from tourism bringing the island a boost in the local economy, it also brings environmental and life issues to the residents of Malta, especially those living nearby the port.

According to the National Statistics Office of Malta, the cruise port brought 814,603 cruise passengers with the 309 cruise lines that came to dock in the Maltese waters in 2023.

This brought €85 million into the local economy of Malta. €32 million of which was in spending of the cruise passengers, whilst the rest of the €53 was the spending by the cruise liners.

This was said it would repeat again in 2024, where former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo mentioned, "The year we will see a further increase. Let’s say we will have more than 900,000 passengers because the weather plays an important role. But our aim is that within a few years we will reach 50 companies operating towards our country."

Currently, within the third quarter of the year, NSO released that the total cruise passenger traffic has amounted to 672,276, which had increased 4.1 percent over the same quarter of last year. Along this, there were a total of 271 cruises, an increase of 44 cruise lines from the same time as last year.

Apart from the economic benefits, cruises cause significant environmental stress for those living near the port. The main factors are air pollution, noise pollution, and traffic.

Air pollution has already mellowed out quite a bit ever since Valletta Cruise Port introduced the on-shore power supply (OPS), the first to be operational in the Mediterranean Sea.

An OPS system is a transformer-like technology placed on the pier of the port for the docked cruise ship to hook up to. Thanks to this technology, it enables the cruise liners to cut over 90 percent of emissions in the port, including CO2 emissions, reducing them to 40 percent. By 2030, all cruise liners need to plug into the OPS, as regulated by the EU.

'Viking Saturn' on the 1st of December, 2023, was the first vessel to plug into the technology but was made official with the 'MSC World Europa' on the 10th of July, 2024, along with the Maltese Prime Minister inaugurating it.

Additionally, the residents of Valletta have complained about the traffic caused by cruise passengers. From the traffic caused by tourist tour bus excursions and back to the actual passengers crossing roads, especially for ferries, the elevator, and other methods of transport.

In conclusion, the impact of cruise liners on the Maltese Islands presents a complex mix of benefits and challenges. While this boosts the local economy, provides jobs, and gives Malta a better global profile, it also raises environmental and social concerns.

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REFERENCES:

Arena, J. (2024). Over 900,000 cruise passengers in 2023 - up by 65% over 2022. [online] Times of Malta. Available at: https://timesofmalta.com/article/over-900000-cruise-passengers-2023-65-2022.1079754 [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

Cachia, A. (2024). Cruise industry leaves ‘substantial impact’ on Malta’s economy - Valletta Cruise Port CEO. [online] MaltaCEOs.mt. Available at: https://maltaceos.mt/cruise-industry-leaves-substantial-impact-on-maltas-economy-valletta-cruise-port-ceo/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2024].

Cunningham, A.G. (2024). L-industrija tal-cruise liners ħalliet €85 miljun fl-ekonomija Maltija fl-2023. [online] TVMnews.mt. Available at: https://tvmnews.mt/news/l-industrija-tal-cruise-liners-halliet-e85-miljun-fl-ekonomija-maltija-fl-2023/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

Grech, H. (2023). Global Ports Holding COO & Valletta Cruise Port GM Stephen Xuereb lauds port’s shore power integration. [online] MaltaCEOs.mt. Available at: https://maltaceos.mt/global-ports-holding-valletta-cruise-ports-stephen-xuereb-lauds-successful-shore-power-integration/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2024].

Magri, G. (2024). Watch: Cruise liners causing weekly traffic chaos on Valletta ring road. [online] Times of Malta. Available at: https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-cruise-liners-causing-weekly-traffic-chaos-parts-valletta.1098894 [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

MaltaDaily (2024). Around 900,000 Passengers Visited Malta Via Cruise In 2023. [online] Malta Daily. Available at: https://maltadaily.mt/around-900000-passengers-visited-malta-via-cruise-in-2023/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

Moore, R. (2024). MSC World Europa inaugurates Valetta’s shore power. [online] Riviera. Available at: https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/news-content-hub/msc-world-europa-inaugurates-valettas-shore-power-81565 [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

Norbert Grech (2024). Leading the Mediterranean in decarbonisation: Malta’s Shore-to-Ship Project. [online] Times of Malta. Available at: https://timesofmalta.com/article/leading-mediterranean-decarbonisation-malta-shoretoship-project-a2.1100070 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2024].

NSO Malta (2024a). Cruise Passengers: Q3/2024 - NSO Malta. [online] NSO Malta. Available at: https://nso.gov.mt/cruise-passengers-q3-2024/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2024].

NSO Malta (2024b). Cruise Passengers: Q4/2023 - NSO Malta. [online] NSO Malta. Available at: https://nso.gov.mt/cruise-passengers-q4-2023/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2024].

Tabone, F. (2024). Cruise industry outlook is positive, driven by healthy booking trends, says Valletta Cruise Port CEO. [online] MaltaCEOs.mt. Available at: https://maltaceos.mt/cruise-industry-outlook-is-positive-driven-by-healthy-booking-trends-says-valletta-cruise-port-ceo/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2024].

Times of Malta (2024). Editorial: Tackling pollution in Grand Harbour. [online] Times of Malta. Available at: https://timesofmalta.com/article/editorial-tackling-pollution-grand-harbour.1095382 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2024].

Valletta Cruise Port (2024). Exceptional year for Valletta Cruise Port. [online] Vallettacruiseport.com. Available at: https://www.vallettacruiseport.com/news-media/exceptional-year-for-valletta-cruise-port [Accessed 25 Nov. 2024].

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beckyreporting · 7 months ago

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COMPARISION & ANALYSIS OF 2 ARTICLES

REPORT 1: Airbnb's new 'Gladiator' Colosseum experience offers visitors rare alone time after dark [CNN]

NARRATIVE CONSTRUCTION

This narrative includes historical context on the Colosseum, explaining its significance and meaning to Rome. It contains the reason for the event, emphasising that it belongs as part of Airbnb's "Icons" series, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; however, it also promotes "Gladiator II," the sequel to the spectacle "Gladiator I.".

TREATMENT

We got facts of the event. It's made to build an exciting approach to this new experience. At first, it appeared to be a promotion to "Gladiator II", but then into more detail about the event itself, dropping the mention of the new movie. It was only at the end the negatives on the matter were mentioned.

QUALITY & DEPTH OF SUBJECT MATTER

This article has a lot of Historical context on the Colosseum. This experience is led by experts to ensure a proper immersive experience. The subject at hand is that it is tied to "Gladiator II." the new movie which can help promote this Airbnb experience to those who are interested in the film.

ROLE OF THE PRESENTER/INTERVIEWER

The presenter entertains and educates us about Airbnb's event which involves the iconic Colosseum. Not only does the presenter educate us on the history of the Colosseum but also educates us about the awareness of what the people of Italy think of this matter, more specifically the locals and city officials.

THE INTERVIEWEE AS A CHARACTER IN THE STORY

The interviewees in this case are the locals and city officials, the ones who wanted to cancel the idea of the Airbnb Colosseum experience because they wanted to avoid a demeaning use of their historical-artistic heritage.

THE TECHNICAL ELEMENTS

The atmosphere provided for the feature was great, immersive even. The torchlight added to its dramatic, mystical ambience with the sound effects of the clashing of swords and shields.

REPORTS/ CULTURAL CONTENT

This article contains a lot of Historical information on the Colosseum. The Colosseum is being used as part of Airbnb's "Icons" series. "Gladiator II" is part of the partnership helping in the promotion of the experience. The experience also received backlash from the locals and city officials as they wanted to set a good example for their historical-artistic heritage.

PRESENTER'S INTENTIONS

The presenter intended to promote the event as well as show the negative side of things. Mentioning the backlash from the locals and city officials.

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REPORT 2: Valletta Cruise Port organises coastal cleanup in collaboration with TimesEvents [ToM]

NARRATIVE CONSTRUCTION

The narrative explains the situation that was found in the inner Grand Harbour area at Menqa, Marsa. Valletta Cruise Port, in collaboration with The Coast is Clear and TimesEvents, was introduced by helping clean nearly a tonne of waste from the area.

TREATMENT

The article was factual yet statistical. The presenter explains statistically all the specific waste the organisations collected. Because of this, it brings awareness that this might not be the only area affected by this waste; it's an eye-opener for the public, indicating a serious matter.

QUALITY & DEPTH OF SUBJECT MATTER

We are first introduced at the site where the waste would be picked up, at Menqa, Marsa. We are immediately informed of the issue of coastal pollution. It explains the specific types of rubbish collected during the event and what was involved in getting rid of it.

ROLE OF THE PRESENTER/INTERVIEWER

The role of the presenter was to show the hard work that Valletta Cruise Port, Coast is Clear, and TimesEvents provided to clean the marine area. The role of the presenter is also to show awareness of the affected area, and the results of a non-maintained place.

THE INTERVIEWEE AS A CHARACTER IN THE STORY

The interviewees are the organisations. They play a major role in this story as they are the 'heroes' for cleaning up the waste. Another two major interviewees are the CEO of Valletta Cruise Port and COO of Global Ports Holding, Stephen Xuereb and Mark Galea Pace of Coast, who are both quoted in the story.

THE TECHNICAL ELEMENTS

The feature emphasises the rubbish affected in the marine area. There was no music involved in the feature, just the ambience of the volunteers getting rid of the waste. It's us and them alone.

REPORTS/ CULTURAL CONTENT

The article provides how these companies were collectively responsible for helping our island with the coastal cleanup. Coast is Clear demonstrates the global issue of marine pollution.

PRESENTER'S INTENTIONS

The presenter's intentions were to show Valletta Cruise Port, Coast is Clear, and TimesEvents cleaning off the area in Marsa. The presenter is also encouraging community participation to the public in events such as these to bring a stop to the issues.

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Watching and reading these two articles, the one from Times of Malta (Report 2) definitely contains more statistical and text-based information along with the feature.

Report 1 barely had any text to support the article, just a small summary with the feature, whilst Report 2, had a lot of text, especially including indirect quotes which makes the article feel more authentic. The feature in Report 2 barely had any dialogue, focusing on the volunteers cleaning up the waste.

Report 1 felt more straight to the point rather than Report 2.

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DETAILED EVALUATION OF REPORT 2 [ToM]

AUTHENTICITY & RELIABILITY

This article proves to be reliable and authentic, as first of all, the article is made by the Times of Malta, which is a reputable news organisation. This article involves direct quotes,namely from people like Stephen Xuereb and Mark Galea Pace. The article also contains factual and statistical content, informing us on what waste was gotten rid of.

However, it's still important to figure out our 5 W's and H to further figure out the authenticity and reliability:

Who: Valletta Cruise Port, Coast is Clear, and TimesEvents.

What: Removing waste from a marine polluted area.

When: 4th of October 2024

Where: At the Inner Grand Harbour of Il-Menqa, Marsa.

Why: To reduce the endangerment of marine life and overall marine pollution.

How: By the three companies collaborate together to help clean the area of waste.

VERIFICATION OF SOURCES

Times of Malta was the main source of all of this. However, this article was posted again on Valletta Cruise Port's website:

Valletta Cruise Port (2024). Valletta Cruise Port organises coastal cleanup. [online] Vallettacruiseport.com. Available at: https://www.vallettacruiseport.com/news-media/valletta-cruise-port-organises-coastal-cleanup [Accessed 16 Nov. 2024].

Additional information about the event was shown on a Facebook post from The Coast is Clear, where they briefly explained the details that entailed in the event. They had their own feature shown in this post and mentioned a few of their supporters who were in the background of this collaboration:

John Ripard & Son Shipping

RLR Yachting Malta

Cisk

Life at Videoslots

The Alfred Mizzi Foundation

The Coast is Clear (2024). Don’t stop, believe in Coast is Clear [online] Facebook.com. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/reel/495548883317189 [Accessed 16 Nov. 2024].

DEPTH OF COVERAGE AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

The event that Valletta Cruise Port organised in collaboration with Coast is Clear and TimesEvents is the main context of this article. It offers a complete analysis of the event. It includes quotes from key organisers, such as the COO of Global Ports Holding and CEO of Valletta Cruise Port, Stephen Xuereb, and Mark Galea Pace from the Coast is Clear. They mentioned how much waste was collected and in what specifics were actually collected. Malta's commitment is highlighted by the cultural context, which shows a wider view of collective responsibility in the preservation of the country's natural resources.

POTENTIAL AGENDA

The potential agenda could be four reasons:

First and foremost, this was all to promote Valletta Cruise Port, Coast is Clear, and/or TimesEvents for their hard work so they get more positive reviews.

Second, this could've been an eye-opener for the public to highlight the impact of marine pollution anywhere in the world and how important it is to avoid it.

Third, to motivate the public to do something similar to avoid the endangerment of marine pollution in our country.

Last but not least, in regards to the first reason, on the 2nd of October 2024, two days prior to the event of the cleanup, Times Of Malta made an article about the traffic caused by the cruiseliners around Valletta. They mentioned the frustrations of the citizans and worries about the air pollution around the Grand Harbour.

Although this doesn’t affect the Port itself but rather puts pressure on Transport Malta, I feel as if Valletta Cruise Port wanted to organise the cleanup to redeem themselves in some way, to distract the public from the issues that the Cruiseliners bring upon our island.

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