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The introduction of the new shuttle bus service between the Malta International Airport and Cirkewwa received a hearty welcome from the Gozo Tourism Association.
The new service was launched by Ministers Austin Gatt, Giovanna Debono and Gozo Channel Chairman Joe Borg last week. This new facility should prove to be an improvement in accessibility to and from Gozo for both local and foreign travellers.
The association had been promoting the idea of a link between the airport and Gozo since 2001, when it listed the idea as one of the priorities under Tourism in the Special Needs Assessment Study for Gozo commissioned by the European Commission.
Besides being an alternative means of travelling between Malta and Gozo, the Gozo Tourism Association believes that the shuttle service will present Gozo as a more competitive destination. Apart from the fare factor, the fact that it is a non-stop bus journey will appeal not only to tourists but also for Gozitans travelling through the Malta International Airport.
The GTA conveyed messages of appreciation to the Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry for Gozo who believed in the project and strived for its realization. A spokesperson for the Gozo Tourism Association said that the association hopes that the new initiative will be professionally run so as not to compromise the benefit of commuters to Gozo.
The Chairman of the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise’s Leisure and Tourism Economic Group (LTEG), Vincent Tabone said that the shuttle service will also be useful to the many Gozitans who travel abroad and who do not have private transportation. Tabone stated that similar initiatives are very important to enhance the tourism product on offer.
In a separate event, the Gozo Business Chamber (GBC) and the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) organized a meeting and amongst the invited were the five Gozitan Parliamentary Ministers. Mr Frederick Azzopardi, Dr Justyne Caruana and Dr Anton Refalo attended the meeting during which it was concluded that there is a need for a representative of Gozo in the Maltese Council for the Economic and Social Development (MCESD), together with a representative in Brussels who would keep the two corporations informed about measures taken by the European Commission which may affect Gozo.
Another issue raised during the meeting was the need for a Gozo Tourism Authority as well as the fact that both the GBC and the GTA should have legal knowledge and be one of the principle voices for Gozo in regional processes. It is necessary that the the statistics for Gozo are kept separate from Maltese statistics and that the statistics for Gozo should be published. It was also agreed that a statistics office in Gozo should be set up. |
