The introduction of the Gozo Channel ferry discounted fare travel scheme by the Ministry for Gozo has been welcomed by the Gozo Business Chamber. The scheme runs until the end of July and is applicable to travel between Monday and Thursday.

In a statement, the Chamber said that this scheme was proposed in the technical committee set up by the Ministry for Gozo with the Gozitan employer groups, to discuss economic measures to incentivise the Gozitan economy.

It pointed out that, “such a measure will help to attract domestic tourism during weekdays, thus generating the required economic activity which is essential at this point in time.”

The Chamber stressed that tourism impacts the Gozitan economy in many ways, not only in the accommodation and catering sectors, but also in other important economic segments such as the retail industry.

As indicated by the latest statistics on regional tourism issued by the National Statistics Office domestic tourism contributes significantly to the the Gozitan economy.

It said that in 2019 domestic tourists accounted for 54.3% of the total tourism demand in Gozo, there were 215,272 Maltese residents who stayed in Gozo and Comino last year. This translated itself in 571,500 nights and generated an estimated total expenditure of €35.9 million.

Th Gozo Business Chamber concluded by saying that, “though these figures represented a decrease from the 2017 and the 2018 figures, the GBC believes that this measure will help to incentivise the Gozitan economy, making Gozo an attractive destination for this holiday period.”

Photo by Alain Salvary

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