We refer to the article by Matthew Xuereb (TMID 4 January), in which he reported about complaints by Gozitan residents of tourists being harassed at various tourist sites at Xaghra.

The Enforcement Directorate of the Malta Tourism Authority has been in touch with the Gozo Police authorities about the matter. It appears that police officers were sent to check these complaints but since none of the tourists pressed charges for harassment, no criminal action could be taken. The police are not empowered to revoke a permit on the basis of hearsay and without a court sentence.

In order to assist the local police in this case, MTA enforcement officers also investigated these allegations by posing as tourists to test the behaviour of hawkers at the entrances to Calypso Cave and Ggantija temples. Contrary to what was expected, the few hawkers present were very polite. Naturally, absolute secrecy was maintained on the whole operation to ensure its success.

A later meeting with the mayor of Xaghra confirmed that the frequency of such harassment had, in fact, diminished considerably during the past months, thanks to the efforts of the mayor and council members who had taken the initiative of

confronting hawkers harassing visitors.

The mayor and the MTA’s Enforcement Directorate intend to communicate regularly in order to share information and take action on this and other issues which impact on the quality of the tourism product offered in the locality.

With regard to the other issues mentioned in the article on the placing of tables and chairs on the pavement, the restaurant has been identified and will be investigated by the MTA.

Leonard Zammit Munro

Senior Manager

Corporate Communications and Business Development MTA