Once more we are reading about the possibility of better links between Gozo and Malta. Everything has a price and I don’t just mean the cost of constructing a bridge or a tunnel.

If the islands become permanently linked then Gozo will lose forever its uniqueness as a holiday destination. Certain people , including the so-called Gozo Tourism Authority, can’t see this or choose to ignore it and believe that Gozo’s double insularity is a problem when the truth is that from a tourist point of view it has always been an asset.

However, I think this has to go beyond the tourism issue and deal more with the problems Gozitan people face daily.

An air link would never be an answer to the problems these people face and would fail anyway as it has always been shown to be unsustainable. The end result would be more concrete covering this small island and the only people to benefit would be the owners of light aircraft who would have a new playground. And think of the effect on the tourist trade of all those little planes buzzing around all day like mosquitoes. At least, a bridge or tunnel would be benefit all the people, not just those with private aircraft.

At the end of the day, it will be for the people to decide but they will have to accept that along with the benefits there will be costs as Gozo will no longer be the attractive, quiet place to holiday that tourists see it as now.