Letters to the editor – July 2, 2026

Gozo’s lifeline

Mario Saliba of Nadur writes:

Juergen Attard (‘Connectivity: double-edged sword for Gozo’s tourism’, June 29) raises an interesting debate on the relationship between connectivity and tourism. However, I believe the discussion risks attributing too much importance to transport and too little to the tourism product itself.

Connectivity between Malta and Gozo is, first and foremost, a social and economic lifeline for Gozitans. It should continue to be improved for the benefit of residents, while tourism policy should adapt to, not shape, the provision of this essential public service.

Gozo needs to be a destination people would want to experience better. Photo: Daniel Cilia

I also have reservations about the suggestion of reviewing ferry fares for non-residents. Apart from the legal and practical implications of differential pricing, making access more expensive is unlikely to encourage longer stays. Visitors generally decide how long to remain because of what a destination offers, not because it costs more to leave.

If Gozo wishes to attract higher-value tourism, the priority should be to strengthen the tourism product itself: excellent infrastructure, clean and attractive public spaces, well-maintained heritage sites, efficient transport, quality accommodation and restaurants, vibrant cultural activities and authentic experiences that give visitors compelling reasons to stay another day.

Ultimately, sustainable tourism is built not by managing demand through transport pricing but by creating a destination that people genuinely want to experience more fully.

An old water wheel

Alfred Conti Borda of Qawra writes:

Situated in the lovely valley of Mistra and going down from the Xemxija roundabout, on the right-hand side, there once stood an old water wheel. This machine used to be set in motion by using a mule or a donkey, aptly called in Maltese as il-ħmar tas-sienja, which was blindfolded in order to prevent dizziness, constantly going round to draw up water.

It really worked wonders by watering the parched fields in the vicinity until its disappearance in the early 1970s.

A photo of an old water wheel appeared in an article by the learned judge Giovanni Bonello some months ago.