The Gozo Business Chamber welcomed the reduced Gozo Channel fare travel scheme between Mondays and Thursdays in July.

The government said last week that passenger tickets bought between 2.15pm and midnight during the first four days of the week, until July 30, will cost €2.50 instead of €4.65, while vehicle fares will cost €8.50 instead of €15.70.

The chamber said in a statement this scheme was proposed in the technical committee set up by the Gozo Ministry with the Gozitan employer groups, to discuss economic measures to incentivise the Gozitan economy. 

Such a measure will help to attract domestic tourism during weekdays, generating the required economic activity essential at this point in time. 

The chamber noted that, as indicated by the latest statistics on regional tourism issued by the National Statistics Office, domestic tourism contributes significantly to the Gozitan economy.

In 2019, domestic tourists accounted for 54.3% of the total tourism demand in Gozo. The number of Maltese residents who stayed in Gozo and Comino totalled 215,272. This translated itself in 571,500 nights and generated an estimated total expenditure of € 35.9 million.

Though these figures represented a decrease from the 2017 and the 2018 figures, the chamber said it believed this measure will help to incentivise the Gozitan economy, making Gozo an attractive destination for this holiday period.