Victor J Borg, the Gozitan hotelier known for the Ta' Ċenċ and Cornucopia hotels, died on Saturday morning aged 75.
The Gozo Tourism Association, of which Borg was honorary president, paid tribute to "one of the leading Gozitan hoteliers and entrepreneurs" and praised his "foresight and vision".
The Nationalist and Labour parties also saluted the memory of a "Gozitan tourism pioneer".
Starting out with a modest car hire business before venturing into hotels with the Cornucopia Hotel in Xagħra, Borg was known for his commitment, as early as 1970, to promoting Gozo as a tourist destination in its own right.
As Gozo was not on the agenda of any overseas tour operator, he began marketing his own tours in the UK, featuring weekend breaks specifically in Gozo. Similar weekends, priced at break-even rates, were also introduced during the low season, mainly aimed at the Maltese.
In the 1990s he continued his investment in the hotels sector with the building of the St Patricks Hotel and the purchase of Ta’ Ċenċ Hotel.
He was appointed a member of the National Order of Merit by President George Abela in 2012.
His later years were largely taken up with a 24-year battle for development in the unspoiled areas around the Sannat hotel, putting him on a collision course with environmental organisations and residents' groups.
From early plans for a golf course in 1996, the project eventually evolved into a proposal for 15 villas, an extension to the existing hotel and a heritage park of some 1.5 square kilometres.
Borg consistently maintained that the project would allow for better management of the private land, but it continued to face heavy opposition, with a petition led by Din l-Art Helwa signed by 10,000 people and tabled in Parliament by one government and one opposition MP.
In a 2012 interview with Times of Malta, his daughter Monica, who had long been involved in the running of the hotels, expressed her desire to follow in her father's footsteps.
“My main task is not only to continue with his good work, but also to improve where necessary, and to meet the present-day challenges and expectations. When I started, I thought he used to expect quite a lot from me, always saying I should lead by example. But nowadays, I look forward to meeting him and discussing any matters arising every morning at my office," she said at the time.