Diving: a pillar of quality tourism

During the early 1980s, Gozo’s tourism offer was enriched by the emergence of a new niche built on the island’s natural beauty: diving. Over the past 40 years, this niche has grown substantially, and today the diving sector has firmly established itself as one of Gozo’s leading tourism pillars.

It is estimated that 18–20% of all foreign visitors to Gozo cite diving as their primary reason for choosing the island as their holiday destination. Diving tourism represents a significant contributor to Gozo’s economy and plays an important role in supporting the island’s overall GDP.

Gozo currently hosts 18 dive shops, while mainland Malta has more than 50 operators, many of which regularly also bring clients to Gozo’s renowned dive sites. The locations most frequently visited by Malta-based dive centres include the Blue Hole and Inland Sea at Dwejra, Ras il-Ħobż, and the four wrecks at Xatt l-Aħmar.

Over the years, a number of initiatives proposed by the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) have been undertaken to strengthen and support Gozo’s diving industry. Between 2000 and 2024, four dive wrecks were created through the scuttling of the MV Xlendi, MV Cominoland, MV Karwela, and MV Hephaestus.

In 2006, also with the support of EU funds, a one-person hyperbaric unit was installed at the Gozo General Hospital and a ‘Master Plan for Diving in Gozo’ was commissioned. A second master plan, ‘Developing a Sustainable Diving Industry in the Maltese Islands’, was published in 2022.

Recognising the importance of diving for Gozo’s tourism sector, the island recently saw another major upgrade: the inauguration of a six-person hyperbaric unit at the Gozo General Hospital. A highly welcome investment that was financed through funds collected through ECO contributions, following the Gozo Tourism Association’s (GTA) successful lobbying to ring-fence eco-contributions collected in Gozo.

These initiatives have helped cement Gozo’s reputation as one of the Mediterranean’s leading diving destinations. However, the sector still requires further enhancement to deliver a more refined and higher-quality product. Additional investment is needed to support the 18 diving centres operating on the island so they can offer an even richer experience to their guests.

Recent NSO statistics confirm that Gozo is registering double-digit growth during the shoulder months. Diving is one of the niches contributing to this trend, as it can be practised almost year-round. Yet during these shoulder months, many of Gozo’s dive sites lack basic infrastructure such as ladders and mobile toilets, still mistakenly considered necessary only in summer.

Diving enthusiasts consistently highlight the need to protect Gozo’s underwater habitats- Joe Muscat

Further infrastructural upgrades are also required, particularly the provision of proper kitting-up areas at popular dive sites such as ix-Xatt l-Aħmar, Dwejra, and ix-Xwejni. These facilities, recommended in both the ‘Gozo Diving Master Plan’ and the ‘National Master Plan for Diving’, would provide organised spaces where divers can change and prepare their equipment comfortably and safely.

The sector would also benefit from improved tools to assess sea conditions, especially during windy periods. Installing CCTV cameras at various dive sites would allow dive centres to monitor conditions in real time and also serve as a deterrent against theft of divers’ belongings.

While all dive sites fall within ODZ areas, the lack of permanent toilet facilities remains a significant shortcoming. Except for mobile units hired during summer, no sanitary infrastructure exists. There are, however, environmentally sensitive ways to introduce permanent facilities that blend with the surroundings while providing essential basic services.

Diving enthusiasts consistently highlight the need to protect Gozo’s underwater habitats. Establishing a marine park in one of the island’s coastal areas is therefore highly desirable. Such a marine park, properly staffed and equipped for enforcement, would create a highly protected environment for marine species that almost disappeared over the last generation due to overfishing. It would also showcase one of the islands’ greatest natural treasures: the sea.

Diving in Gozo is thriving. It represents the kind of quality tourism envisioned in Vision 2050. But to sustain this success, the sector requires continued action, investment, effective management, legislation and enforcement.

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Joe Muscat is CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association.