Mepa has issued permits for two berths for cruise liners at a buoy off Xlendi, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said during a visit to the coastal village yesterday.

Mrs Debono said the cruise liner business has become an integral part of the tourism industry from which Gozo could benefit.

The laying of a buoy for cruise liners has been on the cards since 2006, when the Seabourne Pride anchored off Xlendi. Although a small number of other ships followed, their masters had complained that engines could not be switched off because the ships dragged anchor.

The minister also spoke of how the number of persons using Gozo Channel services was on the increase. According to National Statistics Office data, a total of 1.8 million passengers and 497,552 cars used the service in the first six months of this year, which amounts to 133,000 passengers and 33,000 cars more than in the same period last year.

Specific marketing schemes and measures, among which was the 25 per cent reduction in licence fees for Gozitan tourist establishments and other schemes aimed to attract the domestic market, have all borne fruit, she said.

Accommodation statistics show that during 2007 the Gozitan touristic market experienced a global increase of 15.5 per cent of tourists who spent a night or more on Gozo. This comprised a 10.8 per cent increase in tourists from the domestic market and an encouraging 19.7 per cent increase in foreign tourists.