Carnival crossings down but Gozo still does well

Nearly 8,000 fewer people crossed over to Gozo during the Carnival period this year, although with more than 62,000 making the trip, it was still described as a busy few days for Gozitan businesses.

Last year, about 70,500 passengers and 19,800 cars made the crossing between the Wednesday and the Sunday, compared to 62,479 passengers and 18,393 vehicles this year, official figures revealed. However, this year’s figures are slightly over those of 2010.

Gozo Tourism Association president Joe Muscat said this year’s carnival was a busy one and described it as “positive”.

Nadur carnival always attracted a higher concentration of young people who usually found accommodation across the island, he said.

The popular trend was to book a self-catering residence, such as an apartment or a farmhouse. However, there were also many Maltese who owned a second property in Gozo and used that over the weekend.

“Business over the carnival weekend was very positive.

“Thousands of Maltese went up and everyone benefits, from the accommodation sector and restaurants to shops, bars and even petrol stations,” he said.

Mr Muscat also praised an initiative by bus operator Arriva to run a late-night service which removed the pressure of finding parking in the tiny village of Nadur.

The long-awaited carnival weekend seemed about to hit the rocks after Gozo Channel employees were ordered by the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin to go slow because of a dispute, potentially affecting the ferry service.

However, the industrial action was called off at the eleventh hour on Friday after Finance Minister Tonio Fenech stepped in.