The Gozo Business Chamber has proposed that a ticket booth be installed on board the ferries so that Gozitans will be able to buy their return tickets beforehand, thus saving time and avoiding the possibility of missing the boat on their return home after a day’s work in Malta.

The chamber issued a statement after it was announced that passengers using the Gozo Channel ferries between Malta and Gozo will have to start buying their tickets in Cirkewwa, instead of in Mgarr. As this is due to the development work being carried out at Mgarr, and is therefore only a temporary arrangement, the Gozo Business Chamber has no objection to tickets being sold in Cirkewwa.

But, in the same way that Maltese and tourists had the ability to buy their return tickets from Cirkewwa on their way to Gozo, Gozitans should also have the chance to buy their tickets beforehand.

In addition, the chamber has objected to the fact that the present parking facilities at Cirkewwa are to be dispensed with. These parking spaces are used by Gozitans who have to cross over to Malta daily for work but who, for economic reasons, leave their cars at Cirkewwa overnight, as well as by Maltese residents who cross over to Gozo in the evenings for a meal at a local restaurant or to attend a function.

The chamber appealed to the authorities concerned to reconsider the situation, as such measures can have an adverse effect on Gozo’s fragile economy.