The Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis, has launched a new consultation document for the National Tourism Policy 2015 – 2020.

Gozo as distinct tourism destination – National Tourism Policy 2015 – 2020

This document, he said, was drawn up following consultation with stakeholders and follows on from a a previous document which expires next year.

This Tourism Policy 2015- 2020 is being formulated on the basis of a longer-term Tourism Vision 2030. This Tourism Vision 2030 is based on the principle of sustainable development with a view to safeguarding the positive aspects of the country’s attractiveness as a tourism destination for the benefit of visitors and the host population alike.

It is based on the concept of controlled growth, which is achievable through the targeting of appropriate markets with the aim of achieving higher rates of economic returns and returns on investment. It is also based on the principle of aiming for high quality delivery at all levels of the tourism value chain with a view to achieving improved competitive positioning in the international tourism market, the Minister said.

As regards Gozo, the document says, that “the Island of Gozo has for a number of years been considered to be quite a unique ‘tourism destination’ with distinct characteristics which differentiate the product from that of mainland Malta.

The document details on Gozo, are shown in full below:

In fact, tourism to Gozo displays a very different behavioural pattern from that of the main island.

In 2013, foreign tourist arrivals in collective accommodation in Gozo increased by 13% over those registered in previous year, whilst the first nine months of 2014 saw an increase of 6%. Despite these improvements seasonality and the underutilisation of available beds remain one of the biggest challenges for Gozo. The number of day visitors to Gozo is also significant, estimated to reach circa 840,000 annually.

Gozo is marketed as a destination in its own right having the potential to attract tourists for a number of motivations. Around 63% of tourists coming to Malta visit Gozo in some form or another. The majority visit Gozo as day trippers (85%), 5% spread their trip between Malta and Gozo, 1% spend a single night on the island while 9% dedicate their whole trip to staying in Gozo.

The structure of accommodation in Gozo allows for tourists to opt for different type of accommodation other than hotel-type. In fact, in 2013, 57% of Gozo-based tourists opted for serviced accommodation and the remaining 43% stayed in self-catering accommodation. 16% of tourists stayed in a villa/farmhouse.

Gozo’s coastline gives the opportunity to 61% of visitors to the island to engage in swimming, 26% in diving, and 9% in other water sport activities. Gozo-stay visitors were also interested in learning about Gozo’s history and culture through visiting historical sites (71%), churches (59%), museums (36%).

An analysis of urban and rural Gozo reveals its distinct cultural, ethnic and geographic characteristics which provide a special appeal to tourists. The decision to designate Gozo as an Eco destination was in principle a good one; however the development process of an eco-designated Gozo needs a better eco-conservation framework.

For tourism to Gozo to thrive, there is a need for all parties concerned to move beyond lip service. The issue of what it takes to clearly position Gozo as a distinct destination needs to be seriously addressed with a clearly thought out strategy and specific actions

This calls for a wider element of co-ordination rather than the fragmentation which exists at present. Fragmentation which either leads to replication of effort or to no one being responsible for particular areas, particularly problem areas.

The role of marketing, particularly e-marketing in the clear positioning of Gozo is another area which is in serious need of being addressed in a holistic manner while the addressing of a wide range of structural issues and deficiencies needs to be given the importance and relevance which it deserves.

Gozo has a distinct and unique selling point one of which is perceived as a stress-free destination that offers the intrinsic value of a personal experience to share with your loved ones. There are a number of segments that have the strong potential to increase demand in the off-peak period and which need to be supported. These segments include:

• Cultural and Agro-tourism;

• Activity holidays and sports tourism;

• CIT and corporate business (small groups);

• Health and wellness;

• Weddings;

• Elderly travel;

• Domestic tourism.

Domestic tourism has traditionally contributed handsomely to Gozo’s economy and has been a highly influential factor on the economic success of the island. This requires consistent data to precisely measure the impact of domestic tourism on the island. Government’s decision to open an NSO branch in Gozo will improve the gathering of this important data. When we talk of tourism we sometimes fail to sufficiently distinguish between international and domestic tourism and we may assume that the tourism product offer will cater for the needs of both, however this is not the case.

In the process of domestic tourism development, Gozo must look at the demands of the domestic market independently, as the needs may be different. Given the smallness of the islands, the interaction between locals and tourists can be intensive and not exclusive and consequently we need to be careful when accommodating the needs of international tourists.

Domestic travel in Gozo is relatively high between January and March and so is the average spent. This reinforces the importance to build on the products, services and activities that are found to be more appealing during this lean period. Eating out, relaxing, shopping and visiting villages featured amongst the top four activities engaged in by Maltese people staying overnight in Gozo, both during summer and off-peak. Also popular with the Maltese is driving around the island.

Gozo’s visitor inflows differ from those of Malta’s on account of eight major factors, namely:

1. The high number of foreign day-trippers which, although not high economic contributors to the island, potentially serve as a base of future visitors, due to their short sojourn which generally leaves a positive impression.

2. The importance of the domestic tourism market which, according to some estimates, may be as high as 50% of tourism flows to the island of Gozo. This market operates in parallel with international tourism to Gozo, at times competing for bed-space and facility usage especially during peak season. It displays very different travel characteristics such as a high rate of return business and a shorter average length of stay. Very little else is known about this market due to an almost total absence of research.

3. The sharp seasonality of tourism to Gozo is also a major factor influencing the well- being and sustainability of the island’s tourism industry. The island’s tourism sector virtually operates for about six months a year with a sharp spike during peak summer and close to no business during the low winter months. The concept of double insularity, the stiff competition from mainland Malta, particularly for reduced off-peak business, and the island’s lack of clear positioning as a distinct destination rather than as a more expensive alternative to Malta are factors which are considered detrimental to Gozo in this regard.

4. The number of foreign tourists who spend at least one night on Gozo is on the increase but is still below the island’s potential, particularly during the off-peak months. Gozo attracts a superior, higher-than-average socio-economic profile than mainland Malta with a mix of British and Continental visitors with a higher-than- average share of older-age repeat visitors. The island needs to attract higher volumes of first-timers and younger age tourists.

5. Over the years Gozo has established itself strongly as a quality destination attracting activity and special interest holidays. These areas include scuba diving, climbing, mountain biking, walking and trekking. Gozo is also strong in quality relaxation travel such as wellness, besides also having pioneered aspects such as rural-tourism experiences. These are attributes which strongly differentiate Gozo from mainland Malta and need to be further developed as part of the Island’s strategy to achieve more sustainable tourism flows.

6. The cruise market has by and large missed Gozo owing to the weak berthing facilities which are currently available. This is an important market which not only complements mainstream tourism by introducing additional volumes of visitors to help generate economies of scale, but also helps position the island of Gozo firmly in people’s minds as a stand-alone destination.

Cruise passengers who visit a destination briefly on a cruise tend to form a very good base of potential tourists who return for a longer stay on the basis of the short but positive experience. In this respect Gozo should not seek to emulate Malta by trying to attract huge cruise liners who will automatically prefer Valletta, but should seek to attract smaller operations which are themselves sought after by a more discerning, socio-economically superior visitor, in line with the island’s offer and expectations.

The installation of a buoy off Xlendi has also made it possible for smaller ships to berth near the island, apart from also anchoring in the shelter provided outside Mgarr Harbour, thereby offering it either as an alternative destination on their itinerary or as a two-point destination with Malta.

There is however, widespread agreement that current facilities do not give the necessary weather-related peace of mind to ships anchoring off Gozo with the result being that the number of potential calls is severely curtailed until more secure facilities are made available.

7. As a distinct region of Malta, Gozo suffers from a distinct lack of statistical information about tourism activity with the only estimates based on the NSO Collective Accommodation Survey which only covers hotel-type accommodation and estimates provided by the MTA on the basis of sample surveys of incoming tourists.

The problem is compounded further because of the lack of information concerning domestic tourism. This in contrast with Malta which benefits from a huge range of statistical indicators on tourism activity. The current situation places the planning of tourism in Gozo at a distinct disadvantage vis-a-vis Malta.

8. Gozo’s accommodation profile differs substantially from that of Malta. Gozo’s hotel sector is strongly skewed towards 5 and 4 star properties while it also has a very huge amount of self-catering accommodation including the relatively unique farmhouse product.”

The National Tourism Policy 2015-2020 in full is available for download here.

To access the web form for comments on the policy please see here.

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