We refer to Stephen Calleja’s article entitled “Gozo losing out to low cost carriers” (TMIS, 17 June).
The Gozo Tourism Association begs to differ with Mr Calleja’s statement that “a holiday in Gozo became increasingly more expensive as time went by”. Mr Calleja simply jumped on the bandwagon of the current perception that taking a holiday in Gozo is more expensive than taking one abroad.
The Gozo Tourism Association, which represents the majority of Gozitan catering and accommodation establishments, believes that, in general, all Gozitan tourist establishments are guided by the principle of value for money. The current renting charges in Gozo for a normal three bedroom farmhouse with pool, range from €70 to €150 daily (that is from €11.00 to €25 per person daily for a group of six people). These rates differ from each other according to the property location and the various amenities and services available in the respective properties.
At this point it is pertinent to add that cheaper rates are also available, however these accordingly reflect lower standards and services offered.
Destination Gozo offers a wide range of accommodation services throughout the island that meet guests’ expectations both in quality and service, while suiting all pockets. According to our knowledge, these do not greatly differ from similar services offered abroad as mentioned in the article.
On the other hand, this association has described the introduction of low cost carriers to Malta as a double-edged knife. Although these low cost carriers had a notable effect on the increase in tourist arrivals to the Maltese Islands, they are also proving to be equally attractive for the domestic market to opt for overseas destinations for holiday breaks.
Therefore, the package offer, at face value, between a break in Gozo and a break overseas is mainly influenced by the means of access to the respective destination, and not by the pricing adopted by the accommodation services providers. In this matter, the Gozitan tourist industry, which is so dependent on the domestic market, is at a disadvantage and mitigating measures should therefore be put in place to create a level playing field.
The same argument also applies to restaurants on the smaller island. One can find a selection of restaurants catering for all types of clientele in Gozo. In the register containing 175 eateries, there is a list ranging from top class restaurants to snack bars, all offering an assortment of menus that are all reasonably priced according to the respective category in which they are listed. Through a simple Internet search, one can confirm that prices charged by restaurants in similar categories on the mainland and the sister island do not actually differ.
Unfortunately, this is yet another occasion where destination Gozo has been wrongly reputed as an expensive destination by the local media. Seeing that this eventually results in the wrong message being sent out both in the domestic as well as the foreign market, it falls squarely on us Gozitans to tackle this perception. We never tire of advocating that it up to the Gozitan tourism industry to respect the Gozitan product at all times by giving promised services at reasonable and fair prices.
In today’s cutthroat competition, the Gozitan tourism sector should focus on the concept of value for money, since all customers to all destinations are becoming more value conscious. Adherence to this concept is one of the alternatives that help to mitigate the perception that Gozo is more ‘expensive’ when compared to other destinations.
All Gozitan stakeholders should work together in order to keep branding Gozo as a value-for-money destination, especially in the present global economic scenario. The Gozitan tourism sector can reap better results if the Island of Gozo is promoted as a ‘value-for-money destination’ offering quality services rather than as a ‘ low-cost’ destination.
Joe Muscat
Chief Executive Officer
Gozo Tourism Association