Action is needed now

So the tourism authority is worried about the impact traffic congestion is having on the tourist experience and the accommodation owners are worried about the impact of overdevelopment. All justifiable concerns but there is another problem no one seems to want to address. Imagine the hapless first -time visitor to Gozo; he has managed to negotiate the traffic chaos and has arrived at his chosen accommodation. Having carefully read all the reviews, he has chosen to stay in a family-run B&B in a village setting with generous outside space and a pool. It looks delightful and he is looking forward to the peace and relaxation of this much photographed, more rural, oasis that is Gozo.

Imagine his horror when, relaxing by the pool with a cool drink after a genial welcome by his hosts, he is shocked out of his reverie by loud music, swearing, shouting and screaming and general mayhem coming from the “holiday house” next door. We all know what a holiday house is; it is owned by someone not living anywhere near it, is advertised as sleeping possibly 20 or more in a three-four bedroom house and rents for around €500 per night.

Generally, the guests wishing to stay in this type of accommodation are large groups of Maltese youths whose mantra seems to be “Let’s go to Gozo and trash it”. When asked to please keep the noise down, they respond with abuse and turn up the volume, making it impossible for our poor tourist to enjoy his own well-appointed accommodation. Even calling the police has little effect on these groups as, once the officers have left, the volume increases yet again.  Sadly, these groups of young Maltese of both sexes often come equipped for disturbance with outside speakers, sound systems and, in one recent case, even microphones.

If the tourism authority truly wants to attract quality tourists to Gozo who will spend money and return time and time again, then this problem needs to be addressed. When we ran our B&B in Gozo, our property was inspected by the tourism authority and plans showing positioning of beds and measurements of rooms had to be submitted. What has happened? Does no one bother anymore? Where is the legal support needed to address this?

I appreciate this problem has been around for a long time and I am sure is not limited to the Maltese islands but, here in Gozo, it does seem to be getting worse. Why should owners of well-established guest houses invest in refurbishment and improvement when their businesses are blighted by the party house next door? The only people this type of accommodation benefits are the absentee owners who are rubbing their hands as the money rolls in. The guests arrive fully stocked with alcohol and food, in some cases brought all the way from Malta, and spend as little as possible in the village. The quality tourist who wants to experience Gozo life goes out to dinner, visits the bars and explores the island either by hired car or quad bike. He books tours and visits places he has read about and, while he is doing all this, he is spending money. 

A person who has had a bad experience is far more likely to write a review than someone who has had an enjoyable holiday, so our first-time tourist will write a damning review of the island, while acknowledging that his accommodation and hosts were everything he was hoping for and, were it not for the constant disturbance, he would have been much happier.

Most importantly of all, he will not return as there are plenty of other places he can go to where the authorities have recognised the tourist product needs to be protected and nurtured, not ruined by rowdy groups displaying blatant disrespect for anything and everybody and overdevelopment destroying the very charm the tourist was attracted to. 

Wake up tourism minister before it is too late. You are running out of time fast.  

Jenny Scott – Qala

Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@timesofmalta.com. Please include your full name, address and ID card number. The editor may disclose personal information to any person or entity seeking legal action on the basis of a published letter.