501,907 passengers and 156,343 vehicles made the crossing between Malta and Gozo between the beginning of December and 6 January, according to statistics released by the Gozo Channel.

These figures bode well for Gozo, and represent an increase of 8% in passengers and 11% in vehicles crossing the channel when compared to the same period in 2017.  In fact, 464,837 passengers and 141,349 vehicles crossed the channel back then.

The day which saw the most traffic was Sunday 30 December 2018, when a total of 25,186 passengers and 5,670 vehicles made the journey onboard 76 crossings operated by Gozo Channel. 

Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana was pleased with these statistics, noting that Gozo had seen a strong influx of tourists, both Maltese and foreign, who had chosen Gozo as their destination for the festive period.  She said that this influx was no coincidence, but was as a result of the work that her ministry was undertaking in organising a vast programme spread out across Gozo.

Caruana also stated that the owners of establishments and restaurants were satisfied with the influx and praised the structured manner in which the ministry’s programme had been worked out.  The minister reminded that a number of other cultural activities will be organised throughout the upcoming days and moths, denoted in a programme available through the visitgozo.com site.

The CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association Joe Muscat was also pleased with the numbers, noting that it was the best such period in the past years.  He said that there was a very strong demand in Gozitan hotels, and farmhouses also reported high occupancy levels especially during the last weekend of the year.

 Joe Borg meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Gozo Business Chamber, added that the campaign for Christmas in Gozo organized by the ministry had satisfied its aims, and he said that the fact that Gozo had been marketed as the ideal destination for people to enjoy their holidays had a very positive impact.