An entrepreneur operating in Gozo has to face various logistical challenges resulting from the island’s insufficient communications with Malta. Yet, there are opportunities that could be exploited to increase the critical mass of business activities that are needed to restore the vibrancy of Gozo’s economy.
Tourism is a natural industry for a small island like Gozo that has a unique beauty that should be easily sold to visitors. But, possibly because of its small size, few visitors spend more than a day or two in Gozo that is often promoted as a destination for very short excursions. Hotel occupancy, at about 42 per cent, is much lower than in Malta and it is no wonder that further investment in the building of hotels is likely to be scarce.
One area in which Gozo has been quite successful relates to the settlement of an increasing number of retired people, mainly from Europe, who chose the island for their residence. These are permanent tourists, or they should be if the social and medical infrastructure of the island improves to cater for their particular needs.
As the population ages, more people will need to consider moving to a retirement home where they can live in a comfortable environment where medical care and home help are provided as a natural extension of the hospitality service industry. Today such services are provided not only by the state as part of the social services infrastructure, but also by private companies that see a business opportunity for providing these specialised hospitality services.
In Malta there is quite a good choice of retirement homes for the elderly run by the state, or by public-private partnerships, or by private entities. A few are also run by the Church. As long as the services provided by the private sector are priced at a level that is affordable, there will be no lack of demand for these facilities.
In Gozo the situation is rather different. As far as I know, the few retirement homes in Gozo are run by the Church. The facilities offered are quite basic and do not appeal to those people who would want to continue to enjoy the quality of life that they are used to when living in their own homes. It is difficult to understand why Gozo is so badly served with facilities aimed at caring for the elderly. Maybe it has something to do with the perceived lack of demand for such facilities.
I believe that an entrepreneur that researches the demand for residential facilities for the elderly in Gozo will discover that there is indeed a demand for these services. This demand is likely to originate not so much from local elderly residents, but mainly from expatriates who have retired in Gozo and now face the difficult dilemma on whether to return to their country of origin as their medical and social needs become more difficult to cater for locally.
The proverbial chicken and egg question is bound to surface when one tries to promote new investment in an untried activity. Anyone who believes that there is a business case for setting up a retirement home facility in Gozo has to believe in the potential of demand for such services growing simply as a result of the creation of such facilities.
Few would doubt that Gozo sells itself as an ideal location for those seeking a peaceful, stress-free environment for retirement. As more and more retirees who have settled in Gozo over the past decades look for extra support to help them live their retirement as independently as possible, it is crucial that the social and medical infrastructure that residential homes provide are created.
I believe that the creation of these facilities will attract interest also from Maltese residents considering moving to a residential home. Who can doubt the superior environment that Gozo offers for those who want to spend their retirement in a residential home?
If these facilities are not created in Gozo, there is likely to be an outflow of elderly expatriates who unwillingly have to return to their countries of origin as they find it difficult to obtain the services that are indispensable in old age. It is therefore important that the hospitality industry caters for the care of the elderly in Gozo as a matter of priority in order to fill in a gap that is known to exist today and in this way create new economic opportunities in this island.
jcassarewhite@yahoo.com