Gozo ‘risks losing identity’ with fixed link

Gozo might lose its individual identity and charm if there was a fixed link with Malta, Gozo Tourism Association secretary Joe Muscat has warned.

Speaking at a seminar on tourism organised by the Tourism Studies Association, Mr Muscat, who owns a hotel in Gozo, said the sister island could risk losing its rural charm through a permanent link as the fast-paced lifestyle on the main island would spill over.

The physical link, apart from the inevitable environmental damage it would cause, would also generate more development and more traffic. This, in turn, would mean Gozo would lose its uniqueness, which made it distinct from Malta and it would be increasingly difficult to market it as a separate holiday destination.

“The land where time stood still,” a tagline used to market Gozo, could also be lost, he said, because visitors to the island often went there for that very reason.

Accommodation establishments also stood to lose because, even though Maltese residents might find it easier to cross over to the island for a day, they would find it equally easy to leave without spending the night there.

Mr Muscat said Gozo’s insularity, even though often seen as a hindrance, was part of the island’s charm: “The ferry crossing was often used by travel agencies as an excuse not to organise packages to Gozo, however, nowadays continental tourists might find the crossing, with the beautiful views it offered, part of the experience.”

“It is also a well-acknowledged belief that Gozo provides a complementary experience to Malta and makes an important contribution towards the overall appeal of Malta as a tourist destination.

This distinctive experience is mainly due to the fact that the touristic programme offered on the three islands is diverse from the other. Physically linking the three islands would mean linking the three products together, thus losing the distinctiveness of each,” Mr Muscat argued.

He did acknowledge, however, that a permanent link would make it easier for Maltese people to go to Gozo for a short trip and this would also be good for restaurants on the island. The easier link to Malta would also make it possible to have direct transfers from the airport to a hotel in Gozo, meaning less bed-nights would be lost. It made Gozo more easily accessible, especially in bad weather.

The idea of a permanent link in the form of an undersea tunnel between the two islands was thrust into the public debate by businessman Joseph Borg, swiftly followed by Gozitan MP and parliamentary secretary Chris Said. The cost of a three-lane tunnel was calculated at about €150 million, which could be eligible for EU co-financing.