A survey to get the views of the tourism sector has been carried out during the past few days by the Gozo Tourism Association in order to formulate an immediate, innovative and wider response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The respondents of this survey, in their majority (84%), “foresee a bleak future for tourism in Gozo,” the GTA said, and they believe that tourism will change for the worse with less people travelling.

In a statement the GTA said that it members were invited to participate in this survey in order to come up with and submit ideas that are “strong and united” and can help the Gozitan tourism sector mitigate the impact of the pandemic and kickstart recovery efforts.

The encouraging response to this survey from Gozitan tourism operators covered a wide range of the tourism sector on Gozo and included all the accommodation sectors, Restaurants, Diving Centres, Tourist Attractions, Transport, Tour operators, DMCs, Travel Agencies, and Health retreats.

The lack of tourist’s demand is the biggest concern for respondents of this survey once this pandemic over.

The GTA said that the survey found that, the financial costs, the payment of bills, the recruitment of staff, and the change which will be brought about in tourism are also of concern for the Gozitan tourism sector.

Nearly half (48%) of the survey participants declared that they can financially resist the present Covid-19 situation for not more than 3 months, the GTA said. While 32% stated that they can endure for up to six months, on the other hand 20% indicated that they can stand the present situation for not more than 9 months.

When asked what type of tourists Gozo should attract after this pandemic 43% prefer “high end quality tourists” while 57% opted for the “average spending tourists.”

The GTA noted that some in the former category commented that “if Gozo is to attract quality tourist, the tourism product across the island should be up to scratch to meet the expectations of that type of clientele.”

Those who filled in the survey believed that Gozo needs to be continually promoted through the online booking platforms, the individual websites and other social media.

The GTA said that the rest were of the opinion that Gozo should also be marketed through the conventional tour operators and participation in international tourism fairs.

The tourism operators were also asked to list their preferences for infrastructural works that can be carried out in Gozo, during this period in the absence of foreign and domestic guests.

The most needed works according to the tourism sector is the road network improvements, with the maintenance and upkeep of the touristic spots as their second preference.

These preferences were followed by general cleanliness of the destination, new touristic projects and the upgrading of Gozo’s main beaches, the GTA said.

The GTA stressed that the tourism sector on Gozo is looking at these difficult times as a “challenging phase.” In fact, 72% of respondents are taking this period as an opportunity to upgrade the touristic product, while the rest of participants are ready to invest in marketing and staff training, it said.

With regards to the several schemes launched by Government to assist tourism establishments mitigate the Covid effect, 51 % of the Gozitan tourism establishments stated that these measures were fair, while 22% considered them good, and 18% declared them as very good. On the other hand, 9% deemed these measures as not sufficient.

The tourism operators on Gozo were also asked a specific question in the survey, “if they were satisfied with the banking facilities including loans, interest and moratoria.”

The GTA said that in response, a good percentage of respondents – 45% said that they did not avail themselves of any banking facilities. While 35% stated they were satisfied with their banker conditions with 20% not happy at all with their bankers’ arrangements.

The survey further proposed a list of 5 measures and asked tourism operators to express their preferences which of these they would like to see Government implementing.

The first preference chosen by respondents was the waiving off of licenses for 2020 payable to MTA, REWS, Transport Malta and Lands Department. The GTA said that this measure was followed by financial assistance for the upgrade of tourism establishments and the reduction on VAT rate on accommodation and related tourist services.

Finally, only 7% of the respondents declared that within the restriction announced by the health authorities they are managing of offer any kind of permissible service like take a way. The GTA pointed out that n fact, 93% stated that their touristic businesses are “totally locked down.”

The GTA concluded by saying that the findings of this survey will be included in a report which it is compiling and will eventually be presented to the respective Authorities.

Photo by Alain Salvary

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