The vast majority of accommodation establishments in Gozo will not benefit from a government scheme to offer rebates to tourists this summer, Gozo’s tourism lobby has noted. 

The scheme, unveiled on Friday by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, will see tourists offered up to €200 if they book a stay of at least three nights directly with local five-, four- or three-star hotels, with an additional 10 per cent rebate for stays in Gozo.

But the Gozo Tourism Association has noted that the vast majority of licensed accommodation on Malta’s sister island does not qualify for the scheme in its current form.  

In a statement on Saturday, the GTA said that just 25 per cent of accommodation in Gozo that is licenced with the Malta Tourism Authority comprises hotels. The remaining 75 per cent is in the self-catering sector and includes farmhouses, villas, and apartments. 

“As proposed, this scheme will be beneficial only to those individual travellers who opt to stay in the 14 accommodation establishments that fall under the category of the Hotels in Gozo,” the GTA said. 

It urged the government to extend the €3.5 million stimulus scheme to cover all licenced accommodation in Gozo, including the self-catering units that make up the bulk of the island’s tourist accommodation. 

The GTA said that it was open to discuss the matter with authorities if needed.