The Santa Marija weekend has not given Gozo its much-needed lift after a mediocre summer for tourism-related business, with restaurant operators saying that it was nothing like previous years.
John Azzopardi, from Marsalforn's Pebbles, said business on August 15 was around 30 per cent lower than last year's while Patrick Buttigieg, from Victoria's It-Tmun, said the number of customers must have gone down by some 30 per cent over the weekend.
And not only were there fewer people, they also spent less money than the average customer, he said, although he added that the summer in general compared well with previous years.
Similarly, Joe Camilleri, the chef of Xlendi's Iċ-Ċima, said people were noticeably more careful with their money - patrons did not order as many fish dishes as usual, for example.
Christian Grech, from Arzella Restaurant in Marsalforn, said the eatery only served 80 people on Saturday evening when the numbers were usually more like 140 on the evening of Santa Marija, a traditionally busy day for the island.
But the situation was not bad for everyone. Reggie Vella, from Il Terrazzo, said he fared very well this weekend, which he described as better than last year. Angelo Bartolo, who rents out farmhouses, also described the situation as satisfactory, especially considering the financial crisis. "My farmhouses were all full of foreigners," he said.
Malta Tourism Authority chief executive officer Josef Formosa Gauci acknowledged that Gozo had probably been hit by a decline in Maltese visitors.
Asked about the fact that some operators were also complaining of a drop in tourism, Mr Formosa Gauci said he had not yet seen figures for this month but it was expected that, just like Malta was "suffering", so would Gozo.
He said the authority had intensified its overseas marketing campaign for Gozo, both through advertising and PR and through contacting a number of tour operators working in niche markets such as diving, cycling, walking and farmhouse holidays.
Both 2008 and 2007 had been good years for Gozo. The island's Tourism Association secretary Joe Muscat has described the Santa Marija weekend last year as having been "saturated" with tourists, pointing to the need for promotional efforts to boost the shoulder months.
But he may have spoken too soon. Peter Camilleri, the owner of Mġarr's Sea View Restaurant, claimed the number of tourists had almost dropped by half this year. "We did not do as well as previous years." He said he had to reduce the number of people he usually employed during the summer months.
Odyssey Bar and Restaurant owner George Sacco believes that trade this year has dropped by half. He said some farmhouses even remained empty during the Santa Marija weekend, something that was normally unheard of. "It was nothing special, nothing like last year," he said pensively.
The global financial crisis has dealt a big blow to the island but it was swine flu which gave Gozo a kick in the teeth, Mr Sacco believes. In fact, big groups booked for dinner and bingo at the Marsalforn restaurant cancelled, citing fear of the influenza pandemic as their reason.
"We had groups of 70, 100 and even 120 people cancelling their bookings, and they told us that it was because of swine flu," Mr Sacco said.
Mr Grech, from Arzella, also blamed swine flu as one of the reasons for a drop in business. He said Gozo was given bad publicity following a breakout on the island at the beginning of July.
"It was the mortal blow," Mr Muscat, from the tourism association, told The Times.
However, according to Andrew Busuttil, the manager of Marsalforn's Il-Kartell, the Maltese did not disappoint this weekend. It was the shortage of foreigners that was sorely felt.
He said tourists tended to eat earlier, with the Maltese arriving later. But this year early covers were very poor, with the restaurant only filling up after 8 p.m.
The economic situation was the main reason quoted for the slowdown, including by the owner of two farmhouses in Għarb. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he usually got a lot of repeat customers, who stay for a week or two. But only 10 per cent of his regular customers decided to take a holiday in Gozo this year. "Everyone's on a budget. There were days when they were empty," he said.
According to Mr Buttigieg, from It-Tmun, the number of foreigners has gone down because of the credit crunch, while the Maltese are finding it easier, and sometimes even cheaper, to go abroad.
Mr Muscat believes that Gozo is facing competition even from Maltese hotels, which advertise good rates to attract people. This comes on top of competition from countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Corfu and Cyprus, which offer good deals.