Tourism in Gozo is doing well but we need to have better data about how the sector is evolving. This was a main point emerging from the discussion held between former Prime Minister Alfred Sant and the Council of the ‘Gozo Tourism Association’ when he visited their offices in Victoria Gozo. Dr. Sant told Council members that we should be continually making the point about how Gozo’s special circumstances warranted special treatment. An intelligent strategy to drum this could eventually win the day.
As in Malta, while the average length of stay by tourists in Gozo has been declining, the total number of bed nights has improved significantly. GTA Council members emphasized however that there is a crying need for an improvement in the quality of tourism statistics relating to Gozo so that policies can be launched that have a more accurate reach towards actual outcomes.
Council members were also interested in measures that would cut the costs of holidays in Gozo for tourists from Europe, not least for transfer costs of arriving tourists from Luqa airport to Gozo. Here too, the Maltese MEP warned that any such measures cannot fall foul of EU competition and state aid rules. These do not allow government subsidies that can be claimed to create discrepancies of treatment in the free market. Mr. Paul Scicluna, Chairman, Joe Muscat, CEO, Mario Loporto Vice-Chairman, Ms Pauline Spiteri, Mr Konrad Scicluna and Mr. Amand Verammema attended the meeting.
Maltese Version – BŻONN TA’ AKTAR INFORMAZZJONI DWAR IT-TURIŻMU F’GĦAWDEX
It-turiżmu f’Għawdex sejjer tajjeb imma hemm bżonn ta’ aktar informazzjoni dwar kif qed jevolvi dan is-settur. Dan kien il-punt ċentrali li ħareġ mid-diskussjoni li seħħet waqt laqgħa bejn l-Ewroparlamentari Laburista Alfred Sant u l-Kunsill tal-Assoċjazzjoni tat-Turiżmu f’Għawdex. Dr Sant qal lill-membri tal-Kunsill li għandna nisħqu l-ħin kollu dwar iċ-ċirkostanzi speċjali ta’ Għawdex u li minħabba fihom din il-gżira teħtieġ trattament speċjali. Strateġija intelliġenti li tisħaq fuq din il-ħaġa tista’ eventwalment twassal biex inkomplu nżidu l-attivita` ekonomika f’Għawdex. L-istess bħal Malta, għalkemm id-dewmien medju tat-turisti f’Għawdex qed jonqos, in-numru ta’ ‘bednights’ żdied mhux ħażin.
Il-Membri tal-Kunsill qalu lil Dr. Sant li huma interessati f’miżuri li jnaqqsu l-ispejjeż tat-turist Ewropew biex iqatta’ vaganza f’Għawdex. Fost oħrajn issemmew l-ispejjeż tat-trasport biex turisti li jaslu fl-ajruport ta’ Ħal Luqa jitilgħu Għawdex. Hawnhekk ukoll, l-Ewroparlamentari Malti qal li miżuri ta’ dan it-tip jaqgħu taħt ir-regoli tal-Unjoni Ewropea dwar il-kompetizzjoni u l-għajnuna tal-istat. Dawn ir-regoli ma jippermettux sussidji mill-gvern fuq il-bażi li joħolqu diskrepanzi fis-suq ħieles.
Il-membri tal-Kunsill tal-Assoċjazzjoni tat-Turiżmu saħqu li hemm ħtieġa kbira biex titjieb il-kwalita` tal-istatistika li tinġabar għal Għawdex biex il-politika lil titħaddem tkun aktar preċiża u twassal għar-riżultati mixtieqa.
Preżenti fil-laqgħa kien hemm Paul Scicluna, Chairman, Joe Muscat, CEO, Mario Loporto Vice-Chairman, Ms Pauline Spiteri, Mr Konrad Scicluna u Mr Amand Verammema.
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