With political trouble in Tunisia, Egypt and Greece, many destinations in the Mediterranean have seen their tourism business boom this year. Malta has benefitted to some extent from this phenomenon but Gozo operators are less happy about how things are developing this season.

The Gozo Tourism Association has confirmed what Gozitan operators feared: during the spring months, business in Gozo was rather subdued with almost half of those participating in the association’s survey saying that business was “bad”. While the number of tourists visiting Malta in the first half of this year is significantly higher than the number registered last year, as many as 60 per cent of Gozitan operators report that business levels so far are lower than in 2010.

The reasons behind this discrepancy may be various. Maltese tourism is the staple of the industry in Gozo. Many Maltese own a second home in Gozo and they frequently cross over to spend a weekend there. It seems that the number of people using the Gozo Channel ferries has not diminished in the first half of this year, so one can assume that some of the Maltese spending their weekends in Gozo may not be using the services of Gozitan business, like restaurants and supermarkets, as one would expect. If this is the case, one has to ask whether the pricing of services provided by Gozo operators are competitive enough.

Foreign visitors often go to Gozo on day trips that leave limited benefit to businesses there. Some complain that there is not much to do in the sister island beyond visiting the usual attractions that can often be managed in a long day. If the tourism industry in Gozo were to come up with a vibrant programme of activities that captures the imagination of both Maltese and foreign visitors, this perception about the limitations of what one could do there can well be altered.

But perhaps the most important element that is affecting the flow of tourists to Gozo is the increasing options that both Maltese and foreign tourists have when deciding where to spend their holidays. This is mainly due to the availability of low-cost flights from Malta to a myriad of exotic destinations in Europe. Reasonably-priced accommodation in European cities is now also easily accessible thanks to online booking offers, especially in the off-peak periods.

The tourism operators in Gozo need to take charge of their own destiny and exploit the irresistible charm that Gozo possesses in abundance. Selling Gozo can never be achieved solely by intensive marketing campaigns, even if this can help bring the island to the attention of European holidaymakers.

Making Gozo a viable tourist destination is all about offering an experience to visitors that is both unique and reasonably priced. The Malta Tourism Authority can surely help in advice and concrete assistance in this regard. This matter needs to be addressed because Gozo’s economy is very dependent on the tourism industry.

Many arguably consider the Gozo tourism product as rather dated and unappealing to the modern visitor that is spoiled for choice on where to spend his hard-earned money. Thus, the tiny island needs to reinvent itself to exploit its immense tourism potential and potential it certainly has.

Good value for money, an interesting year-long activities calendar and more efficient transport between the islands, especially for tourists arriving by air, are some of the issues that must be addressed to revitalise tourism in Gozo.