A number of Marsalforn residents have complained about restaurants’ outdoor seating areas covering a greater area than legally permitted, causing problems for pedestrians as well as other, more law-abiding, establishments.

The Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) has received similar complaints about the issue, and said that the issue is not just in Marsalforn.

GTA president Joe Muscat said their position was clear. They have always told their members to abide by the law and their permits so that Gozo can be an organised resort destination that benefits everyone, rather than ending up in a free-for-all.

When asked about the difficulty people face when attempting to get to other establishments, Mr Muscat said this was a fact and caused problems with the principal of level playing fields. He made the point that this is not just a problem in Marsalforn, but can be seen elsewhere in Gozo – giving Xlendi as an example.

“This is a problem”, he said, “especially where there are law-abiding establishments and those who decide to go beyond their designated outside area”. Mr Muscat said this gave such establishments an unfair advantage and where designated lines existed, restaurants must abide by them.

“We want an organised destination with law-abiding diners and establishments”. He said he understood that the season is short and so demand is high, but stressed that this behaviour can damage a place’s reputation.

Mr Muscat added that if a restaurant increased its seating capacity without increasing their staff and other aspects of their business, then customers’ waiting times would increase, thus worsening the service.

He pointed out that this is a problem not only in Gozo, but also in Malta. With the season almost at an end, he said he hoped that, during the winter months, some proposals will be made that will enable the authorities to come up with solutions that will be acceptable to both restaurateurs and residents – what Mr Muscat described as: “Just proposals that will do justice to the destination”.