Every October the government presents its new budget. In the lead up to then, different organisations present their proposals for their respective sectors. This has already started.

Recently, one of those organisations, the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA), made its proposals while also highlighting concerns it has about the ongoings on the island.

One such concern was about overdevelopment. To tackle this, it proposed the removal of all fiscal incentives on the sale of buildings and land for development into apartments, while proposing the retention of the existing incentives on sale and purchase of properties in UCA where the purchaser signs a guarantee to restore the property without subdivision. It also proposed the extension of incentives in all vernacular and post-war properties including UCA where the buyer undertakes to preserve the integrity of the property, respecting and not exceeding the surrounding traditional village heights.

These proposals could help slow down overdevelopment in Gozo. One must keep in mind that the recent statistics issued by the National Statistics Office from the latest Census show that in Gozo and Comino, nearly half of the dwellings comprising the total stock were secondary, seasonally used or vacant (45%).

It also called for the development of a new regional plan and policy specifically for Gozo. Now Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Cabinet has approved a new regional development strategy and said that it will be duly released for public consultation, but one would argue that we need new policies and plans for the whole country and not just Gozo, plans that protect the green areas, ensure that the look of localities and streetscapes are pleasant to the eye, ensure that UCA areas are better protected, and which ensure that development is also based on the infrastructure of the area. One will wait and see as to what the strategy for Gozo is, but the government really does need to revisit the planning situation in the whole country country.

Another important factor for Gozo is connectivity. The idea for a tunnel between Malta and Gozo has, thankfully, been shelved. Such a project would have likely seen construction in Gozo skyrocket.

However the GTA has rightly called for the improvement of the fast ferry service. Another proposal was the introduction of an integrated ticketing system which allows persons to commute on different transport modes with a single common ticket (Fast ferry service, Gozo Channel Service and Malta Transport Service). This is a good idea not only for Gozitans, but for all travellers to Gozo. As for the development of the airfield for the fixed wing airlink between Gozo and Malta, while the GTA is supporting it, one must question just how feasible it will be for companies to launch such an endeavour.

The GTA also called for government to create, offer, support and entice new niches like adventure, activity, sports, walking, digital nomads. Why not, these are all forms of active tourism. Walking tours, climbing, more focus on diving activities are some ideas which come to mind.

In a separate story the Gozo University Group, in an interview with this newsroom, highlighted some issues of their own. Right now, Gozitan students are allocated a monthly €166 to cover travel expenses, regardless of whether the student resides in Malta during the week, and as long as their education institution is in Malta. Additionally students who are able to prove they are residing in Malta for the term of the scholastic year will also be given an additional provision of €100 per month. Despite this Sultana said that this is not enough to cover rent for one student, as the current average stands at €200 per person in one apartment. Perhaps this is an issue that the government could look into.

These are just some areas in which action by the government is needed in Gozo. Another would be to ensure that better hospital facilities are made available in Gozo, that there be more quality jobs for Gozitans in the private sector, that government should ensure that the public sector does not take workers away from the private sector unnecessarily – also something that should be looked into in Malta. There are others.