The Gozo Tourism Association would like to express its concern regarding the unnecessary disturbance which the Gozo bound tourists have to go through due to the industrial action being taken by transport operators in Malta. Still worse is the fact that alternative transport arrangements are being disrupted.

While acknowledging the right to strike, the Gozo Tourism Association would also like to remind one and all that tourists also have a right to get the value for the money they paid to spend their holiday on our Islands. Islands promising peace, tranquility and hospitality. Moreover stake holders and those employed within the tourism industry also have the right to operate their businesses and perform their duties in a normal manner. The tourism industry needs support and protection and not threats and disruption.

The Gozo Tourism Association would also like to note that the industry in Gozo is being unnecessarily affected. Had there been an adequate airlink operating transfers between the Malta International Airport and Gozo, tourists traveling to and from Gozo would have remained undisturbed and unaffected by the current transport strike. This is yet another proof that an urgent decision regarding the airlink between the islands needs to be taken without further delay.

Ironically, in contrast to the prevailing transport situation on the Mainland, a new transport service has been introduced on the Island of Gozo. The Gozo Discovery Bus service has been made possible through an EU funded project aimed to create a standard for sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean. The Gozo Tourism Association commends the initiative taken by the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta, which has been instrumental in making this brainchild of the Gozo Tourism Association a reality, thus enhancing the Gozo tourism product with yet an another added service.

Joe Muscat Secretary
Gozo Tourism Association

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