No fewer than 18 hotels in St Paul’s Bay, Bugibba and Qawra closed down in the last seven years and only four have opened, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.
The hotels which closed down were: (number of beds in brackets) Hyperion (344), Villa Mare (24), Euro Club (280), Blue Lagoon (54), Cartwheel (160), Springfields (80), Cycas (84), Gallina (294), Island International (186), Limelight (162), Pandora (60), Crystal (75), Breakpoint (50), San Mark (150), Concorde (154), Mistra Village (564), and Cape Inch (54); while those that opened were: Coralia San Antonio (624), Bellavista (299), Sunflower (216), and White Dolphin (108).
There are three applications for hotels in the area: Club Salina Wharf (72), Brandon (45), and Beachline (26).
Mgarr Gozo public transport
The afternoon bus service from Mgarr to the various Gozo villages has been shut down because of poor patronage by the Gozo residents, Urban Development and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett told Labour MP Justyne Caruana.
The decision to shut down the service came after recommendations by the Gozo Bus Owners Association, the minister said.
There will be talks in the near future between ADT and the association to lead to an improvement in the bus service.
NSO and tourism figures
The figures given in the NSO news release of 27 December on sea passengers to Malta from January to November 2005 did not tally with other figures previously published because by mistake the 2004 figures were shown. This was immediately corrected by NSO, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Mr Bartolo.
Dr Gonzi denied that there has been any revision in the NSO tourism figures, either on the methodology side or on the figures side.
School absenteeism
There were 137 cases in the primary school level and 733 in the secondary school level which ended in court last scholastic year due to absenteeism, Education Minister Louis Galea told Labour MP Carmelo Abela.
Policemen injured on duty
The number of police officers who were injured while on duty totalled 122 last year, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg told Labour MP Adrian Vassallo.
31 were attacked while the others were hurt accidentally.
Unlicenced drivers
A total of 167 persons were arraigned last year after having been found driving without an insurance policy. During that same year 147 persons were found guilty of the same crime in the local courts, Dr Borg told Nationalist MP Joseph Cassar.