Gerald Fenech Two public holidays in close proximity with Easter weekend have proved to be a boon for Gozo, as many establishments and facilities report a roaring trade which is expected to last even until tomorrow.
A huge number of Maltese patrons who own property on Gozo have made the crossing to the sister isle in their masses, with several restaurants reporting record bookings for this traditionally busy weekend.
The accommodation sector has also reported considerable numbers as far as hotel and guesthouse bookings are concerned, with several tourists opting for an early Gozo break, especially with the European weather still very much on the cold side.
It appears that Gozo has once again been put on the tourism map, after suffering considerably due to the recession last year, when over-bookings were reported even on ‘boom weekends’ such as Carnival and the feast of St Joseph.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Parliamentary Secretary for Local Councils, Small Businesses and Public Dialogue Chris Said confirmed the trend, adding that a lot of work was being done behind the scenes to attract tourists to Gozo during the shoulder months.
“There are two factors which have given a boost to Gozitan tourism this year: the fact that public holidays fell back to back with weekends, and our strategy to boost tourism on the island during the winter months, which to many is the most attractive time of the year to visit Gozo.”
The diving sector appears to be one of the major beneficiaries of this drive with strong marketing being applied to that area and which has already reaped considerable fruit. Strategies to boost local tourism are however also being actively considered especially with the Eco-Gozo strategy in the offing.
“We are looking at a number of strategies to improve tourism in the shoulder months, and have recently come up with a scheme which is called ‘Niehduk Ghawdex’ where from Monday to Thursday elderly people can benefit from a whole package tour across the island. This has received considerable patronage and we hope to continue expanding such schemes in the future,” Said added.
Sources from within the Gozo tourism industry expressed cautious optimism that this summer would be much better than the last one which was especially hard hit by the drop in tourist numbers.
Restaurateurs who spoke to MaltaToday said that so far this year has been “the best for some time” with the St Joseph weekend proving to be a record as far as patronage is concerned.
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