This is a plea to all Gozitans, Maltese, ex-pats and other residents of this beautiful island, to politicians of all parties and in particular the Minister of Gozo and MEPA.
This island has been plundered for centuries, and is still being plundered in the 21st century Are we going to sit back and allow a select few (laundry men?) to finally destroy Gozo? This island does not belong to you or me or them – it belongs to all the people of Gozo and their descendants We only have it on loan and it is our duty to preserve it for future generations. So much of Gozitan heritage has already been destroyed or lost, sometimes because people simply did not know better (using parts of old temples for building purposes), but on other occasions, ruthless destruction was carried out for financial gain (for example, the Punic Temple/Sanctuary, the first excavations of the Xaghra Circle, and more recently, Fort Chambray).
I was shocked to read in all three of the English language newspapers reports circulated by AD regarding the extensions proposed for the Ta’ Cenc complex – extensions that have nothing to do with the golf course.
Ta’ Cenc is one of the most environmentally fragile, diverse and spectacular, and still relatively unspoilt natural areas of Gozo. I feel I have to ask these questions.
Do we really want to destroy it? Does this island need another hotel and more villas at this stage?
The Mgarr and Andar hotels have closed down. Maybe one day they will be converted into apartment blocks, The Cornucopia and Calypso hotels have their own complex of apartments, the Kempinsky Hotel is also building apartments as it obviously could not survive as a hotel alone The proposed hotel at Fort Chambray is still under consideration
Do we want the whole island to become a concrete jungle?
Can we not utilise the buildings that already exist before encroaching on more and more agricultural and/or unspoilt virgin land? Before quarrying more stone whose supply is not unlimited?
There are thousands of unfinished/unsold shells of buildings and apartments scattered all over the island, some of which have been deteriorating for years. Fort Chambray is again an example as are Marsalforn and Xlendi. There are a few horrific examples in Zebbug as well; in fact all the villages appear to suffer from this affliction. There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of derelict houses in the villages. I am aware that the ownership of many of these houses is subject to irresolvable family inheritance disputes, and that the ridiculous inheritance taxation and outdated rent laws have often prevented such properties from being used. These buildings and shells of buildings obviously do nothing to enhance the villages.
Instead of building new villas, with the resulting environmental impact, such the quarrying of stones, couldn’t some of these unused buildings be leased or purchased and turned into town houses/villas for tourists. Most people who appreciate nature would also appreciate the opportunity of staying in a lovely historical residence as well.
Please let us utilise what we have before destroying it by changing it into something we think we should have.
If Ta’ Cenc obtains permission to extend what is to stop MEPA giving permission for Ramla to be surrounded by luxury villas and blocks of flats? Dwejra would be next as there are already a couple of illegal villas there which nobody seems to notice.
There are so many resorts on the Mediterranean coast that have been over-developed – if someone wants wall-to-wall apartments and hotels, there are enough on offer. Marsalforn and Xlendi are on their way to becoming such places, but at least there are still some open areas not too far away.
The charm of Gozo lies in its natural resources, its compact size, its wealth of historical and archaeological sites and of course its people The flat-topped hills are fascinating, the coastline is spectacular and Ramla is still remarkably unspoilt and more than just a beach, with its underwater fortifications and buried Roman villa. Ggantija is simply unique.
The Xaghra Stone Circle, the remains of Santa Verna Temple and the cart ruts present all over the island, the dolmans and other archaeological sites is a specialised tour just waiting to be organised.
The much more recent and unfortunately vandalised Punic Temple/Sanctuary in the northwest of the island is very special and worth protecting.
Read Dr Joseph Bezzina’s books and articles for further information.
Migratory birds (if they were protected) are another natural resource and a niche market – for example, the Audubon Society of America sends hundreds of its members all over the world on specialised nature oriented tours. What an opportunity to offer people the privilege of watching tired, weary birds arriving on these islands, being welcomed by the availability of fresh water sources, and the natural food it provides in the way of plants and insects, and departing fresh and ready to continue their journeys. Instead these poor creatures are met with volleys of gunshot. BirdLife Malta can provide more detailed information.
There are no easy solutions to the problems of this island. It is too late for many things.
• The Gozo or Xaghra Stone circle has probably been irrevocably damaged
• The carvings in The Punic Temple have been lost forever
• At least one of the Il-Mixta cave dwellings in Ghajn Abdul fell victim to a quarry
• Dolmans have collapsed and been left to crumble
• Cart ruts have been buried
• Remains of ancient temples are decaying, and lie unprotected, in several places
• Many recorded megaliths have simply disappeared or been incorporated into buildings or walls
The list is endless but it is never too late to try and make amends!
Let us try and preserve what is left of the natural beauty of the island so that future generations can climb Ta’ Dbiegi when the wind is blowing and the narcissus are flowering. Or carefully step from stone to stone on the garigue – or better still along a path – trying to spy the exquisite, tiny bumble bee orchid that survives the harsh climate of Ta’ Cenc. Or walk along Ramla beach and marvel at the beautiful pebbles washed up. Or sit on a stone and watch the inquisitive lizards darting around.
The older generations were unable to prevent many things from happening to the island. They were too busy trying to make ends meet, tending their fields, feeding their families – surviving. Thank goodness the younger generation appear to be more aware, informed, mobile and well-travelled, perhaps they can make a difference. I hope so, and it is for them that we should do our utmost to act as guardians of the island, to protect it from ruthless, money-grabbing, insensitive speculators and other undesirables.
The unpalatable truth about tourism in Gozo
The powers-that-be want thousands of rich tourists to come to our island, are they really serious when they think that they are going to find tourists who will spend hundreds of liri to:
• explore the countryside that has been so disgustingly abused it will take a long time to recover
• experience the excitement of being shot at, or at least threatened by hunters,
• have the pleasure of being able to drive on roads they are so bumpy that they are not advisable for pregnant women to use
• visit wonderful coves stinking of sewage (St Blas?)
• use Third World public toilets
• eat inferior food that costs the earth (why worry they are only tourists and won’t be back)
• have awful, mediocre service, especially in the upper-category hotels
Gozo certainly has all the necessary elements for developing a tourist industry catering for niche markets one for tourists who love nature, birds, flowers, archaeological sites, magnificent unspoilt vistas and wonderful friendly people.
Before such development can take place however, there are several aspects which need to be addressed They are simple things which do not cost the earth and do not require the expertise of expensive consulting companies to implement. Many of them are just plain common-sense.
Rubbish
This island is dirty. No one likes to be surrounded by garbage and, to put it mildly, the countryside in Gozo is, in some places, disgusting. Take a drive down to the salt pans below Ta’ Gordan Lighthouse. Sometimes I am really ashamed to take visitors and guests around the island.
There is simply NO excuse for this mess. Household garbage is collected three or four times a week, mostly from your front door, bulky garbage is collected on request and this is usually picked up on the day following the request and is free of charge. So why are all those rusty stoves and washing machines decorating our valleys, fields and coves? Why are all those plastic bags and broken bottles strewn all over the beaches and other places of beauty? Why are the bring-in recycling sites surrounded by bags and boxes of non-recycable garbage and other junk such as TV sets?
To be fair to some litter-louts, more bins could be placed in village squares, in parking areas, outside shops selling ice creams or take-away food, and perhaps a few along the roads. I am sure it would be less expensive to employ someone to empty bins than to sweep the streets.
Hunters
If one wants to attract tourists and visitors to this island, hunting must be totally banned. The massacre of birds on this island is barbaric. Today one cannot fall back on the excuse that it is a “traditional” activity. In the 16th century it was tradition to burn witches at the stake and until recently it was tradition to have spittoons in public buildings spreading disease. Tradition does not automatically make something good and acceptable. In the past people hunted for the pot, today it is doubtful if there is anything left to eat when a small bird is “attacked” with a shotgun – at least judging by the bits of flesh and clumps of feathers one constantly comes across while walking along country paths and roads (and sometimes in one’s own garden). The long-term impact of lead on the environment does not bear thinking about. The necessity of having to walk past – and thus eventually having to turn your back on – three or four hulking, cursing, camouflaged, armed-to-the-teeth, menacing looking creatures while out on a walk is daunting for anyone, but more so for a female. To be woken up by gunshots at the crack of dawn or before, which continues sporadically until evening, is simply unacceptable for anyone let alone the tourists you want to attract.
Roads
Somebody obviously expropriated the EU funds allocated for improving the roads on Gozo. With the exception of a few patches here and there, it seems that very little has been done to the roads during the 15 years I have been here and since the road to Ta’ Pinu was resurfaced for Pope John Paul’s visit in the 1990s. Interestingly, there is a mysterious stretch of wonderfully good road starting just past the dolmens at Ta’ Cenc that finishes 500 metres later – strange. Normal people do not like driving on bad roads, they want to enjoy the scenery, they do not want to have to concentrate on not falling into the next pothole or being stranded somewhere with a broken axle. The roads to main attractions such as Dwejra and Ramla Bay are appalling and one could certainly be excused for thinking that one is in a Third World country.
Sewage and other suspect liquids flowing into the sea
I have read that this problem will be solved, using EU funds, by building a water treatment facility once the powers-that-be agree on a site. We can only hope that this will be soon. What a shame that after walking all the way down to the beautiful, secret, St Blas bay you discover that there is a very distinctive stench of human excrement and that bathing is not advisable. Or walking along the coast around from Mgarr Ix-Xini to find your path blocked by an obnoxious brew cascading down from above When reported, nobody knew anything about it, or cared. How awful starting out for a walk at Ta Cenc to find the road inches deep in what could only be a mixture of sewage and chemicals.
Third World public toilets
Public toilets are perhaps a sensitive subject, but everyone has to respond to a call of nature at some time. An attempt is obviously made to keep the facilities clean, however the fittings are so old and stained that they always look dirty and about to collapse on one at any minute. Normally, after a couple of hours use they tend to be blocked as well, usually due to the flushing not working or lack of water. One does not need designer fittings and hot water, but surely it is possible to replace pre-war facilities and rusty pipes? I complained once and was told “well they are free, in Europe you have to pay”. I for one, and I am sure most people, would be more than happy to pay a few cents to have the luxury of clean restrooms. From a health point of view, an inspection of restaurant and bar restrooms should also be made on a regular basis – some of them are worse than the public facilities.
On the subject of public toilets, I visited the mayor of San Lawrence two-and-a-half-years ago to find out what plans were in the pipeline for the rehabilitation of Dwejra using the EU funds that had just been granted. I was shown a magnificent plan of palatial toilets, perhaps suitable for Buckingham Palace, but certainly not Dwejra. To date, nothing has been built and Dwejra is deteriorating daily.
Food
Food is a matter of taste, but the attitude of “why worry they are only tourists and won’t be back” when serving anyone who is obviously not Maltese, is very sad. Eating out here, even in an ordinary restaurant/bar, is exceptionally expensive and very rarely value-for-money. The arrogance of some so-called “restaurateurs” when one complains is beyond belief.
Service
All this talk of big-spending tourists, new five-star hotels, golf courses and so on, boil down to the ability to provide the applicable services. Sadly, this island is far from being in a position to accommodate such services and requirements If a five-star hotel is not capable of carrying out in-house training for its own waiters, there is not much hope. The two waiters who tried to serve us recently would have been very lucky to have been employed as dish-washers in a comparable hotel in Austria or Germany. I stress that it was not their fault, they were both friendly and presentable and didn’t even realise that what they were doing (like stretching over in front of my husband to remove my used plate) was unacceptable in a hotel of that standard. It all boils down to management and training. On the other hand we had impeccable service at the Grand Hotel in Mgarr, so it is possible.
Forgive me for highlighting the negative aspects of the island. I could also write a book about the wonderful things that have happened to me here and I will one day. Unfortunately, when it comes to travelling it is the negative things that one often remembers You are much more likely to remember the rude waitress who served you than the wonderful meal you had.
Give credit where credit is due
My thanks to the wonderful service supplied by the employees of the bulky refuse service. My geyser packed up on Tuesday morning. A new one was installed on Wednesday morning, after which I called the bulky refuse service and asked if they could collect the old one. Just after 8am on Thursday I received a call to say they were on their way. By the time I got to the front door (where they had requested that we leave it) they had been and gone!
Well done and keep up the good service.
Lesley G Kreupl
GHARB