The environmental impact of tourism in Gozo

Abstract

Gozo is marketed as the "island where time stood still" and as a place of "calm and relaxation". Its main attraction lies in its rural character, typical of the Maltese Islands before the advent of mass tourism. Gozo is less urbanized than Malta, has more countryside not given over to agriculture, and, because of its geological and topographical structure, has more water resources and is consequently more verdant than Malta. To these must be added the slow pace of life, the peaceful atmosphere and the friendly people, a significant proportion of whom are still engaged in traditional trades and crafts. It is these which make Gozo an attractive destination for both foreign and local tourists. Gozo's main asset is thus its environment; it is also its main problem in terms of tourism. Almost by definition, a place of relaxation which exists in a temporal backwater must be remote, visited by few people, and must be insulated from the myriad elements which make modern living stressful. The problem lies in the fact that although the greater the number of tourists, the greater the income generated, the greater also is the degradation of that asset which attracted them in the first place - the environment. The disease afflicting the Gozitan environment is a familiar one: lack of appreciation of its importance and lack of understanding of how it functions; the symptoms are many.