3 comments so far.A visit to Dwejra is a complete disaster – Readers Letter
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Yesterday, Friday, I was truly shocked. I went down to Dwejra for a drink and a snack at the kiosk, to enjoy a seat in the shade and the lovely view.
The kiosk was still there, but there were no welcoming tables and chairs, no umbrellas – just a baking hot concrete slab. A group of elderly tourists were sitting on the little concrete and uneven stone wall bordering the kiosk, trying to balance food and drinks on their knees and obviously suffering from the heat and sore bottoms. Several guests were huddled in the little bit of shade at the side of the kiosk, again precariously balancing their food and drinks.
What happened? The kiosk was raided by the police on Tuesday and all their tables, chairs, umbrellas and flower boxes were confiscated and shipped to Malta. This did not apply to the bar at the Inland sea as it was conveniently closed that day….
I do not pretend to know all the ins and outs of permits etc. but this family-run kiosk has been there since at least 1990 when I first arrived on the island and in no ways obstructs pavements or paths or public access to anywhere. It has always offered shade and seats to the tourists, divers and locals who stop by for something to drink or eat and even to those who just want to sit and relax without purchasing anything! There are no public benches in the area, and no shade whatsoever due to the fact that most of the tamarisk trees were hacked down when the parking lot was built. So this little kiosk offers a shady haven for an awful lot of tourists. This family’s livelihood is now threatened.
I fear that this has something to do with the sanctioning of the unsightly building that will house the interpretation centre (?) in the dark, dank basement and a glass and wood restaurant upstairs!
Add this to the appalling state of the public toilets and you really have a tourist disaster. My email to the relevant authorities regarding the state of the toilets last week remains unanswered, however the natural stones and bricks at the entrance were whitewashed last week. Surely the authorities do not believe that a bit of white wash will miraculously unblock the toilets and replace the pre-war fittings?
I find the whole situation utterly disgusting, the Ministry for Gozo, Nature Trust Malta, the Tourist Authority/Association, etc. should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Do they not realize that
THIS IS ONE OF THE MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN GOZO!!!
Sincerely,
Lesley Kreupl
I think we shall give Gozo a miss completely next year as until this island gets its act together it will soon start to lose the tourists. So many comments we hear on the streets of the capital. Why do people live here and why do they not see the utter mess everywhere it is disgusting, rats everywhere and stinking rubbish just lying around. It is a health hazard surely and now to hear what is happening down at Dwerja, it is so unfair. I am beginning to think that Gozo is not a nice place to be so why spend a lot of money getting there when one can have a very nice holiday in a beautiful clean place. Beautiful Gozo they say – NO WAY . And what has happened to the pride of the people – do they not care any more!!!
@ Lesley Kreupl.
Here in Gozo all we hear about is how the Gov is creating jobs. Can anyone believe this rubbish. My son has been looking for a summer job and the words that he is told when he goes to the interview is very,very, sad. Starting with the bills that hotels and restaurants are paying for electriciy. The Gas Price explosion announced this week.
Aren’t all these discouraging people from spending money because all they are worried is
HOW THEY ARE ABLE TO PAY THE NEXT BILL
There is no way to be prepared for the utility bills here and I am at a loss to explain them to visitors. We Americans are accustomed to high utility bills because of our consuming lifestyles, but the Maltese electricity and gas bills make ours seem reasonable! Maybe the Government needs to get more intimately involved? Perhaps encourage solar energy with a better plan? I turn out unused lights and only use the fan on my air-conditioning units, all the rooms have energy saving bulbs, but the bills are still outrageous!