I read with interest the article ‘Where are our young men?’ which myfellow local councillor Noel Formosa penned. There are some pertinent facts which I must jot down in response.
First and foremost, brain drain and population demographic decline are not phenomena particular to Gozo but are evident in all peripheral regions worldwide, be it Cornwall, Calabria or Andalucia.
Secondly, brain drain is a problem which Gozo has been experiencing these last two decades. It did not become a reality during the last few weeks.
What has definitely changed is the fact that the current government, as opposed to the previous one, is tackling this issue head-on.
Has the former administration done anything, within a 25-year span, on the physical inaccessibility of Gozo? Not only did the current government succeed in increasing trips and positively turn around the financial situation at Gozo Channel, but it is going to verify, through appropriate studies, whether a physical tunnel is feasible or not.
Isn’t this a total breakthrough when compared to what had not been done by the previous administration?
What has the former government done when it comes to the digital inaccessibility of Gozo? More of the same. Nothing. It is only now that the current government is seeking ways and means with which to lay down an alternative fibre optic cable between the islands, which cable would permit the establishment of high-end jobs and IT firms in Gozo.
Gozo did not manage to attract any concrete foreign direct investment these last 20 years. It is once more the current government which is seeking to reverse this trend. RS2 have set foot in Gozo some months ago, while Barts London Medical School will be bringing to our beloved island an investment of unprecedented proportions.
Boutique hotels are sprouting in almost all of our picturesque towns. Gozo is back on the map with a bang
Barts will transform the Gozo hospital from the derelict one bequeathed to us by PN administrations into a 21st century one offering cutting-edge medical services attracting medical tourism to our shores and opening up new opportunities for our medical and nursing staff.
Moreover, the government is also seeking to establish a services-oriented hub within the former Malta Dairy Products site, which is currently a huge eyesore in the middle of Gozo’s main thoroughfare, and which site the previous government left to fester.
With regards to the tourist industry, one must keep in mind that the record figures being currently registered in the Gozitan tourist industry have enabled catering establishments to thrive all year round. Marsalforn and Xlendi no longer hibernate during the lean winter months. No Gozitan has forgotten the downward trend our tourist industry had taken during the PN tenure.
Hotels and restaurants were biting the bullet. Suffice to mention the closure of the Atlantis, Mġarr and Andar hotels. Gozo lost hundreds of hotel beds in afew years.
Things are completely different nowadays and we’re experiencing a revival in our tourist industry.
Boutique hotels are sprouting in almost all of our picturesque towns. Gozo is back on the map with a bang and this becomes crystal clear when one speaks to those investing in this vital sector. The property sector has revved up during these last couple of years.
The current administration is also striving to tap new niche markets. A new indoor pool, which was shelved years ago, is to be constructed to attract sports tourism. Religious tourism is on the rise. Thousands flocked to Gozo during the Christmas period and record figures have also been registered with regards to cruise liner passengers landing in Gozo, prompting the current administration to set the ball rolling to substitute the inoperable buoy at Xlendi.
Last but not the least, the present government has embarked upon a strategy aimed to make Gozo a permanent filming location. The Brangelina production has pumped millions of euros into the local economy and hopefully this will be the first step towards a bright future within this sector.
Yes, Noel, a new way of thinking was badly needed. Hopefully, all our men (and women) will soon be reaping the fruits of that change of direction.
Christian Zammit is a Labour Party local councillor in Xagħra.