€6 million refurbishment project inaugurated at Kempinski Hotel Gozo

Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis and the Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo have inaugurated the newly refurbished Kempinski Hotel in San Lawrenz, Gozo.

The Minister for Tourism pointed out that the €6 million investment programme was one of a series of many hotel upgrading projects being launched, and that such important projects not only reflect the major optimism in the tourism industry stakeholders' future, but also underline the sector's successful performance.

Dr Edward Zammit Lewis was pleased to note that the extremely positive trend in tourism was also being reflected in Gozo. He observed that last year more than one million visitors went to Gozo, of whom 123,000 were tourists who spent more than one night in Gozo.

"This resulted in a 30% increase over that registered in 2012, the last full year of the previous Government. Moreover, collective accommodation in Gozo registered positive results in both December and January," he said.

The Minister for Tourism also stated that he strongly believed that the answer to the issue of seasonality was creating new niche markets.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of Gozo's public and private stakeholders, over the years, we have been witnessing growth in niches such as diving and sports tourism, rural tourism, and also meetings conferences and incentives. We need to ensure that these aspects of Gozo's unique offer continue to feature prominently in our tourism marketing strategy."

"The Government is aware of the need to address these issues and, to this end, I have decided to introduce the Environmental Contribution where all revenue generated will solely and exclusively be directed toward the improvement and embellishment of the local infrastructure while offering an improved product in general of the Maltese Islands, including of course that of Gozo," said Dr Zammit Lewis.

Moreover, Dr Zammit Lewis affirmed that the Government's vision was to create a quality leap along all the tourism value chain that will improve our future competitiveness and sustainability of the sector; he also said that he was confident that the private sector will help to attain this objective and keep on investing in the Maltese product.

In his concluding remarks, the Minister for Tourism stated that in order to sustain growth in the tourism sector, he believed that investing in human capital would ultimately give increased value to our product. Furthermore, he outlined the need to target the more appropriate markets which deliver the highest return on investment and invest in attracting the more efficient aspects of the international tourism sector.

Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo noted with pleasure the completion of yet another important refurbishment project by the Kempinski hotel.

He said that "This is not just about the investment made in terms of financial expenditure, but more significantly about the mark-up in quality and in value added for an enhanced visitor's experience."

Minister Refalo pointed out that in a very crowded world of holiday destinations – all competing to offer different things – Gozo's challenge is to stand out with its unique attributes. "The Kempinski in Gozo has always stood tall for the positive attributes that travellers seek in their holiday accommodation, and for this, Gozo is appreciated," he said.

"The Ministry for Gozo is committed to continue developing the Gozo product. Minister Refalo mentioned the Cittadella project, a new undertaking made possible through a multi-million EU funded project of meticulous restoration. Product development is high on our agenda and this approach will yield more positive results in the coming years," the Minister said.

Moreover, Anton Refalo said that Gozo had a 14% increase in bednights last year over 2014. Domestic tourism is strong, as is evidenced by the increase of 20% noted in Gozo Channel traffic in the first quarter of this year that is usually a shoulder period. Marketing efforts in conjunction with the Malta Tourism Authority are paying off with very encouraging results.

"The Ministry for Gozo renewed its commitment towards this island and towards private enterprise to invest in product development that complements private initiative; to work towards a quality destination that appeals to the discerning traveller and to continue to raise Gozo's profile and destination awareness with strong marketing initiatives."

Finally, the Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis and the Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo commended Baldacchino Group for their sustained commitment towards the tourism industry and stated that they were very proud to boast that the Kempinski brand was present on our islands and wished The Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz, its directors, management and staff every success for a very bright future.

Photograph: MGOZ/George Scerri