Accessibility at all costs

During the recent past months, the buzzword within the tourism industry in Malta has been low- cost airlines. The prime objective of the introduction of such airlines is obviously to make Malta more accessible and more competitive in terms of the holiday package price.

If this situation for access to mainland Malta is creating so much room for discussion, consultation and lobbying, how should those operating in the tourism sector in Gozo feel about the access to the sister island?

As islanders, depending totally on mainland Malta, we have learnt, at our own expense, that accessibility is one of the major setbacks in getting tourists to Gozo. Over these last two decades, much has been achieved with regard to the inter-islands connection. The Mgarr and Cirkewwa harbours and presently the terminals under construction on both sides, together with the deployment of three brand new vessels purposely built to ferry between the islands, are ample proof that successive administrations have been aware that Gozo cannot be isolated from Malta. These heavy investments do not only serve to fulfil the social obligation towards us Gozitans but they also were and are infrastructural inputs into the only highway between Malta and Gozo.

Apart from these infrastructural works to service the sea link, the inter-island gap is also served by an air link. But the present operation leaves much to be desired in view of the rather high cost of this otherwise upstandard air service. Therefore, in no way can it be classified as a low cost air link. In today's cutthroat holiday competitiveness, the least Gozo needed as a destination was a high cost air link.

If the authorities do not realise how vital this air link issue is between the two islands, and fail to act promptly to remedy the situation, it won't be long before we might experience another suspension of this service. The number of passengers presently making use of the service is not enough to make this operation sustainable. Do we want another vacuum, where this air link is suspended with all the consequences the previous suspension brought about? One wonders if action will be taken when it is too late. Tourism in Gozo is too fragile an industry to keep experimenting on.

An all-year-round island tourist destination can only be saleable if there is reliable, consistent, effective and cost-sensitive access from the mainland. If these basic concepts are not high on the competent authorities' agenda Gozo's accessibility will be at high risk and our endeavours to mitigate seasonality will be futile.

Lamenting only will leave us stuck in this rut. Change is only brought about by action. A case in point was the commendable stance taken by Gozo Channel and the 40 or so Gozitan tourism operators who put their act together and came out with a scheme that proved workable during the low winter months. This was a scheme in favour of low-cost access to Gozo. Practically it is free access to Gozo. The Gozitan tourism direly needs such initiatives as they concretely alleviate the seasonality of the Gozitan island.

In this regard, a long-postponed courageous decision must be made with regard to the airstrip in Gozo. It is not up to the Gozitan trade to suggest a proper potential site where this project can be realised. There are other more competent authorities to advise and decide in this regard. The Gozitan tourism stakeholders simply want to persuade the decision-makers to act, before it is too late, by enhancing the accessibility to Gozo through a low cost, safe and sustainable air link which will also open up other tourism opportunities and which will be beneficial to all concerned.

Mr Muscat is secretary of the Gozo Tourism Association.