‘Record’ 150,000 visited Gozo over Christmas and New Year

Updated 10.30am with Government statement and PN comments

A record 150,000 people crossed over to Gozo over Christmas and the New Year, according to the Gozo ministry.

Figures provided to Times of Malta by the ministry show that 128,526 people took the Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr between December 22 and last Sunday, a 6.7% increase over last year.

More than 20,000 other passengers crossed over to Gozo using the fast ferry from Valletta over the same period, a 29% increase over last year.

The figures show the busiest days for Gozo Channel were Boxing Day and January 2.

Gozo Channel’s four vessels ferried over 39,000 vehicles to Gozo over the entire holiday period. In total, the company operated over 1,300 trips to and from Gozo.

About 120,000 people visited Gozo using the Gozo Channel ferries over the holiday season last year.

The ministry noted that this year’s figures dwarf those under the previous Nationalist administration, pointing out that 66,000 passengers visited Gozo during the 2012 Christmas period, roughly half this year’s numbers.

In a statement on Tuesday, the government linked the "record" numbers to its Island of Villages strategy, saying Gozo has become a "natural choice" for tourists in all seasons.

"The numbers confirm the work we are doing and fill us with determination to continue working and implementing the strategy we have for Gozo, that of Gozo being the island of all seasons," Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said.

He also added that economic success on the sister island should also be coupled with efforts to retain the characteristics that distinguish Gozo from other destinations - a quiet and calm island with several cultural activities.

Happy businesses

Gozo businesses emerged among the biggest winners this holiday season.

“There was a significant increase in business over the same period last year and most businesses across the board agree this was a very good season for them,” Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) CEO Joe Muscat said.

In a survey among GTA members – ranging from accommodation, bars, restaurants, dive schools and excursion operators – two-thirds of businesses reported a better holiday period compared to last year.

Muscat attributed the increase to a perfect storm of favourable calendar dates and manageable weather.

With Christmas and New Year both falling on a Thursday, travellers could enjoy two consecutive long weekends packed with cultural events.

Despite the wet winter conditions, the fact that there were no strong winds, icy temperatures or disruptive storms kept the ferries running, the shops open and the crowds moving.

Two-thirds ‒ 67% ‒ of businesses said most of their clients were foreign tourists. The remaining traffic was split equally between Gozo residents and visitors from mainland Malta.

This is not necessarily great news, however, as Gozo’s growth remains heavily reliant on day-trippers, who strain public services and infrastructure without contributing significantly to the local economy.

Day trippers account for more than half of Malta’s tourism and their numbers increased in Gozo since the introduction of the fast ferry service from Valletta. These visitors typically bypass hotel bookings and spend less than overnight guests, while still contributing to overcrowding.

On Friday evening the foot passenger queue for the ferry stretched for a couple hundred metres. Photo: Facebook/Kevin Cauchi

Chaos

The holiday boom was marred by tight infrastructure and strained services that led to hours-long queues at both the Mġarr and Ċirkewwa ports.

On Friday – the day after New Year’s Day – thousands of people heading to Malta faced extensively long queues. Photos on social media showed hundreds of passengers patiently queueing along the entire length of the Gozo foot passenger terminal and stretching even further back.

Hundreds more were waiting in their cars with their engines switched off, in a long line that could be seen snaking all the way down the Għajnsielem hill to the terminal.

Figures show that over 13,600 passengers crossed over to Malta that day.

Even though the government tried to skirt the problem by blaming the rough weather, the issue was, in fact, exacerbated by Gozo Channel understaffing, as the Nationalist Party pointed out over the weekend.

Sources close to Gozo Channel confirmed the staff shortage, saying it prevented the ferries from operating at full capacity. The issue was partly due to many staff on leave and sick leave, but it was made worse by the long queues the company did not anticipate.

Sources said the government is trying to understand what caused the issues and to find solutions for the upcoming busy seasons.

The fast ferry did not help, either. While the catamaran craft were able to shuttle passengers to Gozo in the calmer morning hours, deteriorating conditions forced their cancellation in the evening. This left thousands of commuters stranded, forcing them into the already bloated Gozo Channel queues at Mġarr.

Compounding the delays, Gozo Channel vessels were forced to switch to the Comino route due to the rough weather. The alternative path adds roughly 15 minutes to each leg of the journey. This meant the company missed quite a few trips over the evening hours.

Meanwhile, between Christmas and the New Year, the gridlock was on the other side of the channel as hundreds clogged the road leading to Ċirkewwa on their way to spending the New Year’s break in Gozo.

'Weather was not to blame' - PN

In a press conference held at Ċirkewwa on Tuesday morning, the Nationalist Party said the weather was not entirely to blame for the chaos at Mġarr - so was the bad planning and mismanagement at Gozo Channel.

Gozo shadow minister Chris Said said the company continues to operate largely with the three vessels built during a PN administration and no real government efforts were made to switch to new and better ferries to improve Gozo's connecitivty.

Government only introduced a second-hand, sub-par ferry that is costing too much money while hardly solving the issues, he said.

Even worse, he said, the PN's vessels can take 900 passengers each but they were only carrying half of those numbers because there were not enough crew.

"Those who had the responsibility to ensure there were enough crew for the vessels to operate at full capacity did not do their job well," he said.

"Consequently, the ferries were not carrying as many passengers as they are able to, leaving thousands stranded in the cold at the Mġarr port."

Transport shadow minister Toni Bezzina said the PN continues to insist on the introduction of four new vessels, the extension of both ports and the introduction of break waters that make navigation in rough weather safer and easier, and the introduction of a fifth ferry specifically for cargo vessels that operates from Gozo to the Grand Harbour or the Freeport.

Joe Muscat also said the infrastructure and services at the two ports continue to be Gozo’s Achilles heel in these circumstances.

When the services are strained, they collapse, he said, and the ports are becoming far too small for the seven million passengers that are estimated to go through them annually.

Bethlehem

One of Gozo’s main Christmas attractions, Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem, also saw thousands of visitors, with mayor Kevin Cauchi saying they struggled to keep up with the number of people on some days.

“We saw a high number of visitors throughout all the days of animations,” he said.

“Many also decided to leave their car in Ċirkewwa or Valletta and cross on foot to spend an afternoon in the locality, visiting not only the Nativity village but also the Christmas tree made from 5,000 glass bottles and a number of artistic crib exhibitions in the centre of the village, which is just a five- minute walk from the ferry.”

He said over 40 cultural events were organised in Għajnsielem alone throughout the festive season.