Tourism in Gozo is doing well but we need to have better data about how the sector is evolving. This was a main point emerging from the discussion held between MEP Alfred Sant and the Council of the 'Gozo Tourism Association' when he visited their offices in Victoria Gozo.

Dr. Sant told Council members that, "we should be continually making the point about how Gozo's special circumstances warranted special treatment. An intelligent strategy to drum this in could eventually win the day."

He pointed out that as in Malta, while the average length of stay by tourists in Gozo has been declining, the total number of bed nights has improved significantly. GTA Council members emphasised however that there is a "crying need for an improvement in the quality of tourism statistics relating to Gozo so that policies can be launched that have a more accurate reach towards actual outcomes."

Council members were also interested in measures that would cut the costs of holidays in Gozo for tourists from Europe, not least for transfer costs of arriving tourists from Luqa airport to Gozo.

Here too, the Maltese MEP warned that any such measures cannot fall foul of EU competition and state aid rules. These do not allow government subsidies that can be claimed to create discrepancies of treatment in the free market.

Mr. Paul Scicluna, Chairman, Joe Muscat, CEO, Mario Loporto Vice-Chairman, Ms Pauline Spiteri, Mr Konrad Scicluna and Mr. Amand Verammema attended the meeting.

Permalink: GTA & Sant discuss the need for better data on tourism in Gozo