The Gozo Tourism Association has recently conducted a survey among its members to understand better the human resources situation prevailing within the Gozitan tourism sector.

It said that the respondents of this survey in their majority (91%), declared that they encountered shortage of staff in their operation during the past summer. Of these 93% stated that this shortage hindered their day-to-day operation of their establishment.

The majority of the survey participants (73.6%) confirmed that his staff shortage resulted in “lack of service,” while another group of respondents stated that they had to “outsource some of their services.” Other participants also declared staff replacement was often sought from other departments within the same establishment.

The Association said that when asked if they were satisfied with the level of service offered when outsourcing was sought 46 % of the survey participants indicated that they were not satisfied at all. Only 15% of respondents affirmed that the outsourced services rendered to their establishment were satisfactory.

The Association stressed that “it is evident that the staff shortage is being experience across a selection of jobs. The majority of the survey participants ( 74.4%) declared that the prevailing shortage however seems to be in the cleaning and housekeeping staff followed by service and kitchen staff, as well as maintenance.

The Gozitan tourism operators also mentioned a list of motives in this survey when they were asked what were the main reasons for this staff shortage. The GTA said that topping the list was “lack of confidence in jobs in tourism, the working hours, staff poaching and the hourly rates paid.”

The Gozo Tourism Association welcomed the encouraging response to this survey from Gozitan tourism operators, which covered a wide range of the tourism sector on Gozo.

The categories covered in the survey were coming from all the Accommodation sectors, Restaurants, Diving Centres. Tourist Attractions, Transport, Tour operators, DMCs, Travel Agencies, Real Estate and tourism consultancy firms, it said.

Finally, through the findings of this survey, the Association said that it “will be in a position to suggest and put forward proposals to the various competent Authorities to tackle in a synergised effort this issue of human resources in the tourism sector.”

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