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The Maltese passport has dropped one place to joint eighth in a global index ranking the world's most powerful passports.

It is based on the number of destinations passport holders can access without a prior visa and was drawn up by the country's former cash-for-passports scheme concessionaires, Henley and Partners

The Henley Passport Index for 2022 ranked Malta’s passport as the eighth strongest in the world, down one spot from the seventh place it held last year.

The country’s passport entitles holders to visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 destinations, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The country was awarded the same amount of points this year as in 2021, however, Japan, which again topped the ranking this year saw its score increase by one point, pushing several countries into a lower position.

According to the Switzerland-based company, the index and its contents are based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and “supplemented, enhanced and updated using extensive in-house research and open-source online data”.

It said that despite Japan, Singapore and South Korea having the world's most powerful passports, its holders enjoyed the least travel freedom.

This figure is far behind the global trend where markets in Europe and North America have recovered to around 60% of pre-crisis travel mobility levels.

Dr Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist at IATA, said passenger numbers should reach 83% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022. “By next year, many markets should see traffic reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels, while we expect this to be the case for the industry as a whole in 2024.”

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY TIMES MALTA

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