Gozo - a paradise lost?

I just read the feature "Sister islands, rotten deal" by Corinne Vella (Gozo Supplement,The Sunday Times, August 11), in which I believe she is referring to my piece "First impressions of a Gozo holiday" (The Times, June 8).

After having read Ms Vella's article a few more times, I cannot help getting the impression that she is pretty undecided in her opinion. Is she defending the development that has taken place in Gozo in the name of progress? Is she bemoaning the fact that Gozo has been over-exploited over the years? Or is she simply resenting the fact that a "foreigner" made her grudges public, rather than a Maltese person?

While a few inaccuracies in her references to my article are not of much relevance, I do find it important to point out that I have been living, working and raising a family in Gozo uninterruptedly for the last 19 years, not differently from any other ordinary Gozitan.

I have seen the changes that have taken place in this island, gradually and subtly, some of them admittedly inevitable, others even outright necessary. Many of them, however, with disastrous results.

I often wonder what visitors from abroad feel when they return to the island after several years of absence - something of a culture shock, I imagine! For those who come here for the first time, it might still be more paradise-like than other places - but for how much longer?

Yes, tourism spawns development. And yes, that has happened in places all over the world. Quite a few Mediterranean destinations have been run down in the process. Those are facts - and quite sad ones for the places involved.

Yet another fact is that almost a generation ago, the mistakes that had been made in other resorts (including Malta!) had already been recognised, and the government of the day laudably tried to prevent their repetition in Gozo. The need was felt to contain development in Gozo, in order to conserve its character.

So far, so good. Only, the development plan that was drawn up then must have been "a little loose around the edges" too, if Ms Vella permits me to use her expression, for it just seems to fit too well. One is left to hope that the local plan for Gozo and Comino, whose draft has been published recently will suffice to provide for the emergency brake that is needed.

I detest being labelled as unreasonable when all I did was to state the obvious. Ms Vella herself says that it is Gozo's "sleepy, almost biblical" image that attracts visitors. That exactly was my point - losing this image completely will translate into losing a lot of visitors. And as much as Gozo's economy undoubtedly needs local tourism, it cannot afford to depend solely on weekend tourism from Malta.

Incidentally, The Sunday Times' Gozo Supplement makes for some very interesting and commendable reading indeed: very prominently featured nostalgic articles about the island's past compete with those that spell out the importance of conserving what is left of its heritage and natural beauty. And John O'Dea sums it all up without mincing words: Gozo is simply not what it used to be. Is it a paradise lost?