The peak of the tourism season is practically over. It has been another record year as far as numbers are concerned.

As usual Malta benefitted from geo-political problems in our neighbouring countries, especially Turkey and Egypt. But there is no doubt that the long-term prospect of the industry remains stable as new investment pours into the industry.

The signals coming from Gozo are quite mixed. Local tourism has increased substantially thanks to the many Maltese who own a second property in Gozo and also as a result of foreign tourists visiting the island for day trips.

What Gozo tourism strategists fret about is the apparent stagnation in bed occupancy in the higher end hotels where some decline has been experienced.

I sense a lack of strategic focus in Gozo’s business model.

There is no doubt that the specialised niches of foreign tourists who like to visit for cultural, ecological and recreational reasons leave more money in the Gozo economy as they pay their hotel bills and other expenses connected with their stay on the island. But niche tourists are also more demanding.

Visiting Gozo on the last weekend of September convinced me that mass tourism almost by definition conflicts with the niche sector of the industry.

Roads leading to Victoria, as well as Marsalforn and Xlendi, were as gridlocked with traffic as they are in the main tourist destinations in Malta.

A German or Italian tourist who decides to visit Gozo in the peak summer period will probably not appreciate being caught up in a traffic jam to get to a restaurant or to stroll in the quaint streets of the Gozitan villages.

Maybe the story can be more balanced in the winter months when local tourism to Gozo abates and more foreign tourists venture to roam the small island and the enormous coaches are conspicuous by their absence.

In my recent visits to Gozo I noticed a general deterioration in the upkeep of public places on the island

The standards of the top end of the hotel market in Gozo are reasonably good, even if the costs are comparable to the top end of hotels in other competing and more glamorous destinations like the south of France. But we have to remember that the south of France is a much bigger area with more to see than is the case for Gozo.

The clamour for a land connection between Gozo and Malta will always be debatable. I have my doubts whether the cost of constructing a bridge or a tunnel will even be viable financially.

Politicians keep saying that it is and they promise pies in the skies as elections loom. But the issue here is whether a fixed land connection between the islands will indeed boost tourism in Gozo.

I can see the point of those who argue that once it becomes easier for people to travel to and from Gozo the number of day trippers is bound to increase.

Others with equal conviction argue that the more cars and coaches travel to Gozo, the less it will become attractive for the wealthier tourist to decide to spend time in a Gozo hotel to enjoy the tranquillity, the environmental beauty and the amenities of Gozo.

I have no doubt that for those Gozitans who travel almost every day to Malta for reasons of work a land connection between the islands will be of enormous benefit. What I am less convinced about is whether this connection will benefit the niche sector of the tourism industry in Gozo.

In my recent visits to Gozo I noticed a general deterioration in the upkeep of public places on the island. Many road signs, so vital for tourists driving round the island, are not lit at night while others are of no use as they seem to have been left in a useless state after they were knocked down in some accident or faded through lack of proper maintenance.

As is the case in Malta, there seems to be an ongoing programme of roadworks that take ages to be completed. The situation has improved but this is hardly noticeable as so many more cars seem to be using the roads in Gozo than was the case a decade ago.

As winter approaches operators in the Gozo tourism industry will be planning for next year’s season and beyond. They will have to grapple with the dilemma of coping with increasing day trippers’ numbers while encouraging niche market tourists to spend more time in hotels.

Achieving both strategic growth objectives will be a Herculean task.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com