Recompression chamber for Gozo

Scuba Diving tourism has quite rightly been identified as one of Malta's leading niche tourist markets.

For Gozo, the diving 'niche' is even more important than it is for Malta because it is a known fact that attracting tourists to Gozo is not easy. The problems we encounter are many. Gozo is too small a destination to be worth the while of the larger tour operators. The problems of accessibility remain, and flights are too expensive. Most worrying of all, though, is the quality of our product that is not getting any better.

The Gozo diving community has, on a number of occasions, expressed its preoccupation vis-à-vis the quality of our product and the ever-growing competition from other dive holiday destinations. We have stressed the importance of the creation of marine protected zones and the placing of wrecks as underwater attractions.

The identification and creation of new dive sites will serve to better distribute the large number of divers on busy days, even more so when meteorological conditions only allow diving to take place on one particular coast of Gozo. Facilities at our dive sites are less than basic when compared with what is offered by our competitors.

Safety is another major issue. Thanks to their professionalism, the dive shops of Malta and Gozo have earned a reputation for safety. The sea around the islands is very deep and statistics show that in the past years, at least half of the diving accidents requiring hyperbaric treatment originated while diving around Gozo. Emergency access to the 'chamber' in St Luke's Hospital is a ten-minute helicopter ride from the Gozo General Hospital. The transfer procedure, though, is a lengthy one, and in reality, patients never get to the chamber within an hour from when the first symptoms of bends occur.

Having understood to the full the importance of 'diving tourism' to the island's economy, the Ministry for Gozo kept diving high on their list of priorities and seized the opportunity to plan for otherwise unaffordable investments when applying for the EU accession funds.

In sharp contrast with other ministries, thanks to which the diving sector will receive no direct benefits from EU accession funds, the Ministry for Gozo has managed to obtain funds for a recompression chamber and a new wreck for Gozo.

To ensure a future for Gozo's diving tourism, an inventory of dive sites followed by a defined term master plan is needed. The ministry also managed to obtain EU funds for these reports. During the coming years, they will be used as a base for all works relative to the enhancing of existing dive sites and the creation of new ones.

Scuba diving has managed to attract a substantial number of tourists to our islands. The numbers of visiting divers are not increasing, as one would expect when considering the extensive overseas marketing that the dive shop operators do. The beginning of the 2004 season has been particularly slow. Competition from other destinations, mainly the Red Sea, is proving very tough.

For Gozo, diving tourism still has a great potential but it is time to stop taking our scuba diving industry for granted.

Other EU funds acquired by Nature Trust for the Dwejra conservation project will help consolidate our most important dive site. Works to improve access to the Blue Hole are already being carried out by the Ministry for Gozo. We are now looking forward to 2006 when all the EU-funded projects have to be completed. We are hoping to have a more wholesome diving product, a start towards the making of a superior diving destination.