This year’s long Santa Marija weekend exceeded expectations for Gozo tourist establishments as a record number of passengers made the trip up to the sister island and many hotels once again reported full occupancy.

Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina told the Times of Malta that the week leading up to Santa Marija saw an increase in passengers of nine per cent over previous years, as well as an 11 per cent increase in vehicle traffic.

Passenger figures are not yet available, but in recent years more than 90,000 people and 20,000 vehicles travelled by ferry in the days surrounding Santa Marija, making it one of the busiest tourism periods for Gozo.

According to Mr Cordina, travel this year was more spread out over the whole week, due to the feast day falling on a Monday, leading many to head up to Gozo early to take advantage of the long weekend.

Despite the increase in passengers, Mr Cordina said the ferry service ran smoothly all week, with two boats operating in tandem throughout and major queueing largely avoided despite the usual incidence of small technical hitches.

Gozo Tourism Association president Joe Micallef said hotels across the island had been characteristically busy throughout the feast period, which coincides with the height of the peak season.

Mr Micallef once again cited the long weekend as having further contributed to the encouraging results. “Gozo being a tourist destination as a whole, tourists were not just concentrated in the Xlendi and Marsalforn resorts but spread around the island, including restaurants in all towns and villages,” he said.

The high concentration of tourists, both domestic and international, were most evident around the capital, Victoria, during the evenings, when people gathered for the traditional Santa Marija festivities, according to Mr Muscat.

“The weekend has continued to contribute to what has been a very positive year so far,” he said. “We experienced double digit growth in the first few months of the year and the indications we have are that this has continued into the summer, although it becomes harder to see growth in the peak season once you reach saturation point.”

As in previous years, feast celebrations in Victoria included horse races, concerts, band marches along Republic Street, fireworks displays and the Wirja ta’ Santa Marija agricultural and industrial show at Villa Rundle Gardens.

Gozo Bishop Mario Grech led the pontifical mass with the Cathedral Chapter. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca attended, as well as Imam Mohammed El-Sadi and members of the Muslim community, who were invited by Mgr Grech in a gesture of fraternity between the religious communities.