Regional governance and tourism plans specifically for Gozo are two points which the Gozo Tourism Association would like to see worked on in the next legislature, the association's CEO Joe Muscat told WhosWho.mt.

Following Prime Minister Robert Abela’s decision on Monday to call a general election in May, WhosWho contacted the Gozo Tourism Association’s CEO to ask what policies or proposals he has which he would like to see implemented next legislature.

While advances have been made in Gozo’s regional governance, such as through the setting up of a ministry for the island and the creation of the Gozo Regional Development Authority, Muscat believes the time has come for the introduction of an autonomous regional governance model.

This would see the creation of a regional government for Gozo, which would be elected by the people of Gozo, but would fall under Malta’s national government.

It would be capable of deciding its own priorities, Mr Muscat said.

"We want Gozo to be recognised as a region with autonomous regional governance, and for this to be written in the Constitution.”
Mr Muscat mentioned that in the past, a short-lived Gozo Civic Council had been established, which was able to come out with ideas that Gozo needed. "Now after more than 50 years, we should have a similar model."

Connectivity

Some ther points Mr Muscat raised deal with infrastructure. He said that, while an increase in the number of ferries has already been announced, the government needs to look at extending the Mgarr port, or possibly creating an alternative port due to the high level of activity that is already present.

Next legislature the government should also start preparing a plan to change the existing ferry fleet altogether, rather than just upgrade it, as in the future they will need to be changed, he said.

In addition, he said, a new road route leading to Mgarr needs to be created. The road is often a traffic hotspot.

Tourism niches and a tourism plan

Gozo is also in need of its own tourism marketing and strategy or policy specifically for Gozo, he said, underlining the differences between what works in Malta, and what would work in Gozo.

"If the starting point is that Gozo is distinct from Malta, such tourism strategy or policy cannot fall within the parameters of the whole nation, it needs a dedicated plan."

This is also the case for tourism development, he said, adding that the type of tourism development seen in Malta would not be sustainable if done in Gozo.

"It would not be the sustainable way to grow the tourism industry, nor the way Gozitans want to see the island develop. We want development that represents the island. We are talking about a small island with its own characteristics, and we cannot destroy those characteristics. So policies tied to construction and tourism need to be specifically made for Gozo.”

He said that marketing Gozo from a tourism perspective should also be targeted.

"Even in terms of tourism accommodation, it is different than those found in Malta. Our hotels are small," he said.

Muscat said that the focus should be on growing tourism niches, mentioning diving as an example, as well as gastronomy tourism, wellness tourism and sports tourism, which, he adds, bring higher value tourists and are, for the most part, niches which are not summer specific.

"We want to see more investment in these niches and see increased promoted for these sectors,” he explained. The GTA CEO also wants more government incentives to help retain local workers in the tourism sector. This, he believes, is part and parcel with the island’s tourism product, providing authenticity.

ITS and vocational education

Another point Muscat raised is that he wants to see the ITS campus change into a vocational centre that specialises in training for certain tourism-related jobs.

For example, he mentioned that there is presently a section for diving, but he said that there are other niches it can cater for, such as agri-tourism and wellness, which he said are not mainstream but rather are small segments of the tourism sector “which Gozo would be perfect for.”

He pointed to the Queen Mary University of London campus in Gozo as a prime example, attracting foreign students to study specifically in this institution. Along this line, he believes that the ITS, MCAST and University of Malta campuses in Gozo should not be extensions of the Malta campuses, but rather be specialised, and that students who want to study eco-tourism, or wellness for example, would come to the Gozo ITS campus to do so.

These Gozo based institutions should then be twinned with similar institutions abroad also, he suggests.