Building an airstrip in Gozo might make the island more accessible but it could also take away the magical attraction it holds for tourists, according to Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco.

The decision whether to build an airstrip was a delicate and important one that might negatively affect what tourists were looking for in Gozo, he said during a conference on island tourism. "One has to ask: Is it feasible? Will it promote sustainable development?"

The Gozo tourism industry is keen to have a landing strip on the island in order to form a reliable fixed-wing air link in the absence of a helicopter service. Environmentalists oppose the idea arguing it would entail expanding the former helicopter landing strip into the countryside.

Sustainable development was based on a delicate balance between the tourism industry's need for development on the one hand and protecting the environment on the other. But it was never a win-win situation, Dr de Marco said.

Such a dilemma arose last week when the planning authority board approved a development permit to extend the Seabank Hotel in Mellieħa by 340 rooms in an outside development zone. Dr de Marco pointed out that the hotelier argued that business would become unfeasible if the hotel did not expand while the environmentalists wanted to protect the countryside.

Referring to high-rise buildings, Dr de Marco queried whether these should be built in tourism zones as they might not be compatible with the concept of island tourism. "High-rise buildings are only allowed in tourism zones but does it make sense to have them there? Is that what tourists want to see," he asked.

He said Malta's tourism advertising strategy needed to become more aggressive and had to branch out to other mediums. Malta had to have a presence on the internet and on social networks, such as Facebook, and the tourism authority was working on this.

The conference was organised by the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU together with the European Economic and Social Committee.