Gozo’s tourism sector, on which the island’s economy so highly depends, is clearly passing through a phase of unprecedented, sustainable expansion and growth that is generating further wealth and jobs across the island. This is due to the many targeted initiatives on multiple fronts and the sterling work carried out by all tourism stakeholders in close conjunction with the Ministry for Gozo and the various national tourism and other entities.
I already had the occasion to highlight the excellent achievements in tourism we attained last year in Gozo where for the very first time the number of visitors and nights spent actually surpassed the one million mark with considerable and double-digit growth on the previous years.
This year’s statistics are also very promising. We had an excellent winter period (January to March) with record arrivals for this season that registered an exceptional 58 per cent growth over last year. Better still, we expect to maintain a growth trend for the successive months too. Moreover, this will allow us to further mitigate the adverse effects of seasonality, a significant setback for all Gozo tourism operators, which we are, at last, managing to tackle effectively. We are currently well into the summer season and all indicators are pointing to another exceptional performance for all tourism niches, from the well-established ones such as diving, to the emerging ones such as religious and wedding tourism.
We are also working hard to develop further the cruise liner passengers segment that grew tremendously last year where we attained just under 10,000 passengers, equating to nearly a 300 per cent increase over 2012. We aim to achieve this not only with improved and more efficient marketing strategies but also with infrastructural works such as the relocation of the Xlendi buoy that will allow us to grow further in this important segment in the near future and beyond.
We are also very pleased to note the consistent increase of passengers and vehicles crossing from Malta on the Gozo Channel ferries where in the second quarter of 2016 we experienced a growth of four per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively compared to the same period of 2015. Even the total number of crossings made by the ferries grew by 5.6 per cent. These results are symptomatic of consistent tourism growth, and are in turn a contributing factor towards another success. Coupled with other administrative measures implemented by the management and workers of Gozo Channel, these growths are helping the company to reverse a trend of many years of heavy losses. Gozo Channel is finally getting back on its feet and can move forward into the future with renewed optimism.
Such numbers and trends are all very promising and we rightly remain very optimistic for the future, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Determined to keep working hard and deliver on the remaining open fronts and projects, we also plan to identify and start other initiatives. Our approach, however, is targeted and not random. This is precisely why we are managing to reach, and even surpass, our pre-established targets for the sector.
Other efforts that round up this holistic effort include the development and upgrade of the Gozo General Hospital and the new medical school campus to which medical tourism will be intrinsically tied. The overall ‘Gozo product’ is comprehensively increasing in quality, for instance with an €8 million investment in the Gozo road network. This, and other components lead to a more positive climate and fertile soil for private investment and initiatives related to tourism, like for instance the opening of boutique hotels, clearly indicating that we are on the right path in tourism growth – a path that increases not only tourism demand, but also incentives a sustainable increase on the supply side.
An improved ‘Gozo product’ includes the revamped Ċittadella and the ‘Beach of Quality’ status ‘Marsalforn’ and ‘Hondoq ir-Rummien’. This would complement the blue flag status already attained at Ramla l-Ħamra. We are also implementing various initiatives within the context of embellishing the general Gozo coastline and specifically aimed at improving the management of our beaches also through a financial agreement with the Malta Tourism Authority for the availability of funds specifically for this purpose. It also includes redesigned and redefined town centres and village cores to better serve the local communities and the tourists they proudly and warmly host. The Xagħra and Ghajnsielem squares projects are two cases in point where the Ministry for Gozo is preparing the public infrastructure so that the local community can be empowered to better cater for the tourists in search of the typical Mediterranean lifestyle. In a nutshell, this shows that the Ministry for Gozo is not simply aiming to increase attractions and facilities in quantity, but looking at whatever is already in place and increase the quality. It is not about creating a sandy beach, but safeguarding and possibly improving the ones we have. It is not about building a tower, but restoring and better present the rich heritage we possess.
When all this is in place, the visitgozo.com portal will be the first stage of whoever thinks ‘Gozo’, possibly even before booking their flights. This is continuously updated and improved both through content and technical improvements while a tender process is underway for the further development of the ‘GozoApp’ in line with current trends and innovations in this area, and in order to strengthen the presence on social media and the digital promotion of Gozo. The Ministry also supports the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) financially in its marketing initiatives, specifically when attending fairs abroad as we also recognise that this Association is an important component of the success being enjoyed today by this sector.
With record employment levels and unprecedented economic growth for Gozo, we are on solid ground and can be optimistic about this, and while we’re at it, enjoy the ride along this growth path. I am confident we have all the right ingredients in place to ensure this will eventually sustain and consolidate further more in the next years and beyond.
Dr Refalo is Minister for Gozo