On a Saturday morning last November, I joined the Malta-based students following a study unit on the Sociology of Island Life at the University of Malta, and travelled to Gozo for the day, accompanied by our professor, Godfrey Baldacchino. The trip’s purpose: to engage in casual conversations with workers, residents and tourists, inquiring about particular aspects of small island life.

This meant asking about the quality of the transport connection between Malta and Gozo. It also meant that opinions about a proposed sub-sea tunnel between the two islands might come up. And they did.

I am originally from Ireland but have lived in Malta for the past 10 years. This gives me a unique edge as an informed outsider-insider, able to switch from ‘local’ to tourist. To answer my research question, I chose the Rabat (Victoria) bus terminal. It did not disappoint.

There were hawkers selling stuff to customers, students returning home for the weekend, and a group of young professionals attending a football game. There was also a treasure trove of older characters eager to chat. And I was the trigger. I spoke to 84 persons in all. Just an indicative sample, of course.

The Maltese make over 400,000 crossings annually to Gozo. Now they do not just visit Gozo for casual day trips but also for weekends and longer stays spent at their second homes, escaping Malta’s chaos, traffic and pollution. The very building of these second homes is causing Gozo’s legendary peace and tranquillity to be lost; yet the influx of Malta’s newly affluent middle class is boosting the Gozitan economy.

Rents accruing from the accommodation sector, plus revenue from tourism, along with significant public sector jobs and contracts support an island economy that now has an official resident population of almost 40,000: a historical record.

One would expect an inter-island tunnel to be welcomed, allowing sleepy drivers to wake up later and arrive faster. However, the opinions I gathered do not align with this idealistic notion. There was a resounding ‘no’ to the proposed tunnel. And, perhaps even more significant, is that many of those I talked with firmly believe that ‘it’ will never happen.

When I politely asked to be directed to the tunnel’s entrance at the hawkers’ stand, there was much laughter, and hands thrown up in the air at my naiveté. One woman jested that: “Gozo would sink if any more people came.”

Don’t be surprised if the tunnel idea is resurrected in time for the next election- Patricia Mary Mallia

Of course, there are potential advantages to a tunnel. The worry of getting to Mater Dei Hospital in Malta in an emergency was understandable. But these concerns far outweigh the notion of ensuing environmental damage and “ruining Gozo”.  A chat with a male pensioner from Mellieħa over coffee proved insightful:

“The tunnel will never happen. It is not necessary. The Gozitans don’t want it because they are already inundated with people, causing huge problems, noise, pollution, parties, traffic, excessive building and so on.  Greed wants to ruin everything, even the sea. Being on the ferry, you can relax and have a coffee.

“Mela, they want to build a tunnel but can’t even build a house without the one next door falling down! Can you imagine putting a tunnel under Malta? … I’ve been listening to these things since I was a young man. I’m 80 now. The money should be spent on the people of Gozo and what they need, not on a tunnel to bring people and things they do not need”.

Surveys by Marvin Formosa (2017) and Vincent Marmarà (2018) had suggested overwhelming support for a tunnel among Gozitans: around 82%. My indicative survey suggest otherwise. The Gozitan economy has been performing well of late, so the island condition is not necessarily an obstacle to development. A fast-ferry service connects Gozo to Valletta since 2021. Gozo Channel ferries continue plying the channel, although the current vessels are nearing the end of their service and will need to be replaced soon.

Talk of a longer runway in Xewkija suggests more inter-island travel choices in the near future. But: don’t be surprised if the tunnel idea is resurrected in time for the next election campaign.

Patricia Mary Mallia is reading for a bachelor’s degree in humanities at the University of Malta.