The Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) said that 84% of its members foresee a bleak future for tourism in Gozo after Covid-19 as they believe that tourism will change for the worse with fewer people travelling.
This statistic was gathered through a survey that was conducted amongst its members to get the views of the tourism sector in order for the Association to formulate an immediate, innovative and wider response to the Covid19 pandemic.
Respondents covered a wide range of the tourism sector on Gozo and included all the accommodation sectors, restaurants, diving centres, tourist attractions, transport, tour operators, destination management companies, travel agencies, and health retreats.
The main reason behind 84% of respondents predicting a slow recovery from Covid-19 is the lack of tourist’s demand once this pandemic over.
Another concern is the financial costs. Nearly half (48%) of the survey participants declared that they can financially resist the present covid19 situation for not more than 3 months. While 32% stated that they can endure for up to six months, on the other hand 20% indicated that they can stand the present situation for not more than 9 months.
In this regards, respondents were asked for their opinion on the several schemes launched by Government to assist tourism establishments mitigate the impact of Covid-19.
51 % of the Gozitan tourism establishments stated that these measures were fair, while 22% considered them good, and 18% declared them as very good. On the other hand, 9% deemed these measures as not sufficient.
The tourism operators in Gozo were also asked a specific question if they were satisfied with the banking facilities including loans, interest and moratoria. A good percentage of respondents 45% responded that they did not avail themselves of any banking facilities. While 35% stated they were satisfied with their banker conditions with 20% not happy at all with their bankers’ arrangements.
The survey proposed a list of five measures and asked tourism operators to express their preferences on which measures they would like to see Government implementing.
The first preference chosen by respondents was the waiving off of licenses for 2020 payable to Malta Tourism Authority, Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS), Transport Malta and Lands Department.
This was followed by financial assistance for the upgrade of tourism establishments and the reduction on VAT rate on accommodation and related tourist services.
Finally, only 7% of the respondents declared that within the restriction announced by the health authorities they are managing of offer any kind of permissible service like take a way. In fact, 93% stated that their touristic businesses are totally locked down.
“The tourism sector on Gozo is looking at these difficult times as a challenging phase. In fact, 72% of respondents are taking this period as an opportunity to upgrade the touristic product, while the rest of participants are ready to invest in marketing and staff training,” GTA explained.
The tourism operators were also asked to list their preferences for infrastructural works that can be carried out in Gozo, during this period in the absence of foreign and domestic guests. The most needed works according to the tourism sector is the road network improvements, with the maintenance and upkeep of the touristic spots as their second preference. These preferences were followed by general cleanliness of the destination, new touristic projects and the upgrading of Gozo’s main beaches.
Furthermore, respondents believe that Gozo needs to be continued promoted through the online booking platforms, the individual websites and other social media. The rest are of the opinion that Gozo should also be marketed through the conventional tour operators and participation in international tourism fairs.