The Gozo Tourism Association has said that during the past weeks different Gozitan tourism operators have “had to endure among others, all the imaginable inconveniences brought about by construction activity being carried out next to their respective accommodation establishments.”

Some of this activity consisted of demolition and excavation works which the summer breaktime directive prohibits in certain streets in various touristic areas in Gozo, between mid-June and mid-September, the GTA said.

The GTA insisted that this directive “should cover all Gozo and not just a few selected and limited number of streets on the island.”

It added that “these works were also being carried out on sites situated in streets and localities that are not listed in the summer breaktime regulations.”

The Gozo Tourism Association said it understands that construction activity has to carry on all year round. “On the other hand, Gozo as a holiday destination cannot afford to have its reputation tarnished by such situations.”

It stressed that tourists come to Gozo to experience a “quiet and idyllic holiday, not marred by incessant noises of heavy machinery from early morning till late in the afternoon.”

The GTA argued that “visitors to Gozo should not be offered the consequences of the machinery noise, the unpleasant dust, and the construction waste, presenting a shabby look to the surrounding environment.”

The Association insisted that “it is high time that the summer break time Subsidiary Legislation is revisited and revised especially where Gozo is concerned.”

It stressed that “the present reality is that the whole of Gozo has become a touristic area, and not only the handful of streets in certain localities that are highlighted in the summer breaktime directive.”

The Gozo Tourism Association said it is therefore calling on the competent Authorities to “amend the summer breaktime directive to ensure that no excavation and demolition works are carried out within 50 metres radius of an MTA licensed premises.”

“Gozo’s tourism cannot afford to lose what was the backbone of the island’s distinctiveness, and thus its touristic offer,” the GTA said.

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