One of the most important and widely celebrated religious festivals in Gozo is the feast of Santa Marija, also known as the feast of the Assumption of Mary. Gozo celebrates the Santa Marija feast annually on August 15, marking it with vibrant celebrations that reflect deep religious devotion, local culture, and a strong sense of community.
Santa Marija's feast atmosphere is both dynamic and joyful. Activity fills the entire island, especially the city of Victoria (Rabat), where the major celebrations take place. Banda Leone enthusiasts adorn the streets with colourful lights, banners, and decorations, bringing them to life with a festive ambiance. Traditional Maltese band marches fill the air with music as they parade through the streets, adding to the lively mood. The chime of church bells and captivating fireworks displays illuminate the night sky, further enhancing the outstanding atmosphere.
Santa Marija feast is a magnet for both locals and visitors from abroad, including Maltese people living in other parts of the world who return to Gozo for the occasion. The feast is a significant event in Gozo's calendar, drawing sizeable crowds who come to experience the unique blend of religious devotion and festive celebration.
This is also the time when most businesses in Malta divert their attention to a well deserved short annual break and thus shut down their business during the feast of Santa Maria. The influx of visitors during this period significantly boosts local businesses, particularly in the hospitality, food, and retail sectors.
Hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals typically experience high occupancy rates around this feast, often reaching full capacity well in advance. Many visitors book their stays months ahead to ensure they secure accommodation during this peak period. The high demand for lodging also encourages the rise of short-term rental prices, making it one of the most profitable times of the year for accommodation providers.
Joe Muscat, CEO Gozo Tourism Association (GTA), remarked that it is very difficult to estimate how many people will visit the sister island throughout the entire Santa Maria week. However, the registered bed stock of around 10,000 for accommodations and hotels serves as a useful indicator of tourism rates.
The GTA CEO affirmed that the week of the feast of the Assumption on 15 August consistently marks the peak of Gozo's tourism season during the summer. He mentioned that during this week, the "domestic market" of Maltese residents floods Gozo, contributing to the region's highest levels of foreign visitor numbers.
"Always assume that bed stock will be all taken," Muscat asserted when asked about booking indications during this time.
Joe Muscat expected that this year's Santa Marija week will reach the same tourism levels experienced in recent years. Muscat noted that the number of people Gozo will host throughout this week "should be the same" as 2023. The GTA CEO maintained that after checking for accommodation on a large online booking platform seven days before the public feast, he had found a few beds still available.
But that is not all. In a survey held recently by the GTA 85% of respondents also shared the opinion that "the general touristic offer in Gozo is not meeting guests' expectations because of various factors including excessive construction, lack of tranquillity, poor infrastructure, noise disturbances and cleanliness issues".
GTA CEO commented further that according to this survey, a staggering 88% of respondents reportedly experienced power outages. From these electrical issues, 44% observed damages in their equipment and stock, resulting in loss of business and nearly a third of the survey participants (30%) said they requested compensation.
So now we have the cherry on the cake. Gozo Ministry hastily splashed a headline on all media that throughout this past Santa Marija week, an approximate total of 164,210 people utilised the services provided by the Gozo Channel ships and the fast ferry service to the sister island.
The Ministry ventured further to roar "a great week for tourism in Gozo," Santa Marija week was a busy week for Gozo from a touristic point of view.
First, the Ministry should explain clearly how many visitors came to Gozo during the Santa Marija week. 164,000 persons utilising the Gozo Channel ships is not enough. Obviously, these individuals who came to Gozo returned to Malta, so does this mean that 164,000 persons came to Gozo and then went back? This would mean that Gozo Channel ferries carried 328,000 persons! or is it that about 82,000 visited Gozo, which is a more realistic figure?
Again, the Ministry conveniently forgets that ferries provided by the previous administration carried these persons. Their only exception is a 30-year-old museum piece Greek ferry, which can only carry half its capacity because of safety concerns at a whopping €14,000 daily!
So what did the Gozo Minister do to attract the vast number of persons to visit Gozo? Nothing!
The roads remained the same, if not worse. Traffic management in Victoria was shameful, parking facilities non-existent except for traffic wardens excited to dish out traffic contraventions with no sense of respect and awareness.
The Minister of Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri, said that this busy week reached the forecasted expectations of Gozo's tourist operators. He said that the Ministry received very positive feedback from tourist operators and that these operators recorded full capacity during what, for them, is the best week of summer.
The Gozo Ministry is sleep-walking! They should wake up and face reality. At least Gozo did not have any power cuts. Santa Maria feast always attracts vast crowds to Gozo. The ministry provided nothing more than the previous administration did in transport facilities. Yes, they provided the fast ferry service. This happened after disregarding Gozitans for about three years for this service. Meanwhile Castille had to clear up their bureaucracy and find a way out of the maze they created to reach out a compromise to allocate this fast ferry service to two operators, as long as one of them included their favourite staunch supporter.
After all, the Gozo Ministry should know fully that Santa Maria feast is a yearly event and the accommodations and restaurants are forking out money daily. So it is about time to consider about holding a Santa Maria feast at least every week!