The Gozo Regional Development Authority held its first regional tourism conference entitled – Tourism in Gozo: A Visitor’s Perspective.
The well-attended conference was opened by Mr. Mario Borg, CEO of the GRDA where he stressed why the Authority felt the need to organise this conference and present the two studies on how tourists and visitors alike perceive Gozo.
Mr. Lawrence Zammit, Director at MISCO, presented the results of a survey among 401 participants. Mr. Zammit gave a detailed explanation of the results and interesting insights that were uncovered during the survey.
Economist Mr. Ruben Ellul Dimech provided us with another study where he focused on an analysis of TripAdvisor reviews for Gozo which provide some key insights in the strengths and weaknesses of Gozo as a tourist destination.
A panel discussion, moderated by journalist Fiorella Pace followed. Mr. Ronald Sultana, Director for Tourism and Economic Development at the Ministry for Gozo, Mr. Leslie Vella, Deputy CEO at the Malta Tourism Authority, Mr. Joe Muscat, CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association; and Prof. Marie Avellino, Director at the Institute for Tourism, Travel, and Culture at the University of Malta, gave their expert opinions on the subject matter.
The Hon. Clint Camillier, Minister for Gozo concluded the conference. Minister Camilleri stressed the importance of continuing to invest in this important industry for the island of Gozo and the need to continue to give a distinctive experience to our visitors, which is the cutting edge for our competing neighbors.
