Last year was another successful year in tourist arrivals to the Maltese islands. Gozo as well contributed to this and continued to build on the increased momentum of recent years.
In 2017, Gozo attracted 215,670 foreign tourists who overnighted one night or more. This represents an increase of 13.3 per cent, or 25,326 more foreign tourist arrivals on 2016.
The arrivals in Gozo continued to add on to the increases in bed nights registeredin 2016. In fact, in 2017 foreign tourists spent 1,184,785 bed nights in all types of Gozitan accommodation, which denotes an increase of 6.5 per cent on the bed nights spent compared to 2016.
Here, it is relevant to mention that, identical to the current trend, the average length of stay of foreign tourists to Gozo dropped from 5.86 nights to 5.55 nights.
It is also worth mentioning the substantial increase in the one-nighters to Gozo, since these increased by 25 per cent compared to 2016.
It is also very encouraging to observe that the above achievements were spread all through 2017. During the first two quarters, January to June, tourist arrivals increased by 13 per cent, while during the last quarter of 2017, foreign arrivals went up by 18 per cent.
This trend clearly indicates the ongoing events organised throughout the year by the Ministry for Gozo and other Gozitan entities are reaping the desired results and helping to extend the touristic season.
The statistics for 2017 also indicate the type of accommodation tourists are opting for in Gozo. Foreign visitors who stayed in collective accommodation, which includes the hotels, tourist villages and guesthouses, reached 51,798, while the non-collective segment, which includes the self-catering sector and privately owned accommodation, attracted 163,872 foreign tourists to their establishments.
Furthermore, while the number of tourists staying in Gozitan hotels increased by 14 per cent, or 6,415 more arrivals, tourists staying in non-collective accommodation recorded an increase of 13 per cent on 2016, or 18,911 more arrivals.
It is interesting to note that the other collective establishments (apart from hotels, aparthotels and guesthouses), registered an outstanding increase of 122 per cent, or nearly 4,000 more tourists.
This is very indicative of the shift in the trends of foreign tourists, who are not necessarily choosing accommodation in traditional hotels, but opting for other types of accommodation which they deem can offer a different dimension to their holiday.
Thematic festivals and other cultural events are adding to a varied cultural calendar of events all year round
Another component of Gozitan tourism is day trippers. These are foreign tourists staying in accommodation in Malta who opt for a day visit to Gozo. Last year, the number of these tourists exceeded the one million mark, as 1,065,473 visited the island, an 11 per cent increase on 2016.
This type of market is not affecting accommodation directly and does not necessarily frequent Gozitan restaurants, yet these tourists are having a multiplier effect on other tourist-related services like transport, retail outlets, souvenir shops and other tourist attractions. Notwithstanding this, the Gozo day trip, if well presented, is a promotional and marketing exercise for the island that can be translated into future overnight visits to Gozo.
Destination Gozo also managed to score increases in the domestic market.
The sister island still remains much in demand with our co-nationals. In 2017, the number of domestic tourists who over-nighted in Gozitan collective accommodation improved by 5.7 per cent on 2016.
This translated into 11,811 more bed nights or a 13.8 per cent increase. These increases resulted also in strengthening the average length of stay of the domestic tourist, which from 2.05 nights in 2016 rose to 2.22 nights in 2017.
These successes within the Gozitan tourism industry continue to stimulate the Gozitan entrepreneur to believe, aspire and invest in this thriving sector.
The various initiatives being taken by the Ministry for Gozo to augment the island’s touristic offer are also contributing to attracting visitors to Gozo during the crucial lean and shoulder months.
These include thematic festivals and other cultural events organised by the Ministry for Gozo, all of which add to a varied cultural calendar of events all year round.
The efforts, coupled with those by the Ministry for Tourism, the Malta Tourism Authority and with the participation of the Gozo Tourism Association, are the right ingredients to carry on offering Gozo as a destination with a difference.
The tourism sector’s sustainability depends moreover on the ongoing im-provements and investments in the tourism product being offered by the Gozitan establishments themselves.
It is when the going is good that the Gozitan tourist establishments need to continue upgrading their offer.
The opportunities to upgrade these establishments as announced in Budget 2018 should not be missed in order to continue enhancing the island’s tourism offer.
It is through the improvement of the overall tourism product offer that Gozo can sustain these achievements and continue to flourish into a distinctive and high-quality tourism destination.
Joe Muscat is CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association.