By cruise ship and by ferry, Gozo’s visitor numbers have climbed again.
If Malta’s Office of National Statistics has a graph on the wall showing Gozo visitor numbers, chances are they ran out of room on the page a while back. Now, with the release of a flurry of new stats, there’s every likelihood the green line will be about to hit the ceiling.
True, the number of passengers on the Gozo ferry is showing only a modest 1.9{072b3f020e5c96087e67b4a6a53cb4f6361881c4df5abec53cf247d5495fb591} increase, although if you factor in the numbers of unreported crossings using the growing market in alternative carriers, those figures may be on the soft side.
>Earlier this month, we explored the bizarre story of alternative ferry crossings to Gozo.
But it’s the cruise ship market where things get a little eye watering. In the third quarter of this year, cruise ship visits rose by over 171{072b3f020e5c96087e67b4a6a53cb4f6361881c4df5abec53cf247d5495fb591}. That may be on the back of relatively low levels of cruise visitors to date – last year, just 2,749 visitors to Gozo arrived via cruise ship in the quarter. This year, though, as Gozo News.com reports, that number rose to 7,466, with over 70{072b3f020e5c96087e67b4a6a53cb4f6361881c4df5abec53cf247d5495fb591} of cruise visitors coming from the UK, Germany and Italy.
Is Gozo full?
As we’ve said in these pages before, rising visitor numbers could be a double-edged sword. It would be a tragedy if increased tourism were to wipe away the very reasons that people visit Gozo: the peace, the scenery, the feeling of stepping back in time, the feeling of being part of a community.
Yet we’re a long way from declaring Gozo full. Indeed, there are parts of the year when you could invite a dozen cruise ships to berth and you’d still find the place feeling peaceful and serene.
So, if you’re planning your Gozo holiday, know that next year things will be pretty much as they always were. Easter, July and August will be busy. The rest of the year, by and large, will be relatively quiet. It’s just that as each year goes by, the busy times get a little busier, and the quiet times grow a little less quiet.
Discover it for yourself. Book your Gozo holiday now on 01430 626061.
*photos courtesy of Viewing Malta
