The Gozo ferries had a hectic Santa Marija weekend between 11-15 August, with 82,392 passengers and 20,433 cars being ferried to Gozo for the August break.

To maximise efficiency, the Gozo Channel operated a shuttle service between the two islands, reacting to the heavy demand for its service during this particular period.

A Gozo Channel spokesperson told The Malta Independent that the demand was still quite high in the days following the Santa Marija feast, as most businesses are on shutdown and people took the opportunity to prolong their stay in Gozo.

All the company’s three vessels, the mv Ta’ Pinu, the mv Gaudos and the mv Malita with its additional loading capacity on its hoistable car decks, were in use, as traffic volumes demanded.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Gozo Tourism Association president Joe Muscat said that although the GTA is still collecting feedback from hoteliers and self-catering accommodation operators, it was evidently a very busy Santa Marija weekend.

Summer 2011 was on the whole quite positive, he said, with both the Maltese and foreign arrivals being generous, when compared with previous years.

The GTA hopes that the positive trend in the tourism sector stretches through the shoulder months to mitigate the seasonality factor.

There was a noticeable high demand for self-catering accommodation, which offers some 4,800 registered beds. There are only 1,700 beds available in hotels.

Mr Muscat noted that the number of Maltese people who own a second home in Gozo is slowly increasing. This development does not essentially affect the self-catering accommodation. On the other hand, it leaves a positive impact on the retailers and service providers who are not intrinsically linked with tourism.

“Those Maltese families who opt to spend their holidays in their Gozo second home prefer to use services offered by Gozo’s SMEs whether they need to buy new furniture or their white goods. Although they spend their holidays in their own homes, they also purchase foodstuffs and eat out regularly while they enjoy their free time here. Therefore every sector of Gozo’s economy benefits,” he said.

“We hope that the success continues throughout the end of the summer and stretches into the shoulder months as it would be positive to build enough momentum to keep us going through the winter months to mitigate seasonality,” he said.