Over 210,000 passengers crossed to Gozo for Santa Marija week

211, 071 passengers and 56, 528 vehicles crossed over to Gozo during Santa Marija week, according to figures just released by Gozo Channel,

Gozo Channel said that it operated 742 trips between the islands, mainly on a shuttle service to meet the demand.

The Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana welcomed the figures and pointed out that compared to last year, Gozo Channel has seen a rise of 4% in the number of passengers and 6% in the number of vehicles that crossed over to Gozo.

Dr Caruana thanked the management and employees of Gozo Channel, who she said, “worked tirelessly to accommodate all those who visited Gozo during that period.”

She added that the Santa Marija Agricultural Exhibition attracted around 13,000 visitors. “The decision taken by the Ministry for Gozo to open the exhibition to the public public free of charge, achieved a positive result,” said the Minister.

Minister Caruana thanked all the staff of the Ministry, the security forces, entities and all Gozo private operators, that had worked together with the Ministry for Gozo, to ensure that it was a week of successes and without incident.

Joe Muscat, CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association, said that Santa Marija week is considered by many as the best week of the year for tourism, however a survey carried out by the Association has shown that Gozo has now become a sought after destination throughout the year.

Mr Muscat said that he is optimistic that Gozo will continue to attract more tourism, through the fruit of the labour being carried by the Ministry for Gozo.

Photograph by Alain Salvary