Cruise Ships in Gozo

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Cruise ships are scheduled to anchor off the coast in Gozo with interest in the island as a luxury cruise destination increasing, says Esther Bajada, director, Ministry for Gozo Tourism and Economic Development Directorate.

Tourism is a main contributor for the Gozo economy. A recent study conducted by the ministry for tourism, established that the contribution of tourism to the island in terms of expenditure amounts to around 180Euros per annum equivalent to just under 50% of Gozo’s GDP.

The importance of the cruise industry to Gozo must be seen from the perspective of enticing cruise visitors to come and visit Gozo for longer stay.

The government issued an international call of expression of interest for the development of a cruise ship terminal and yacht marina and Kalamarine Development Consortium was selected. Negotiations are at the final stages.

The latter is a very important development, as this picturesque post has considerable potential for small and boutique luxury cruise ships. These developments bode well for both Gozo and Malta says Ivan Mifsud ” I am a firm believer that the Valletta/Gozo combination is a win-win- win for cruise line, guests and Malta/Gozo alike since combining Gozo to Malta has the following benefits: the cruise line enjoys low fuel consupmtion to sail to Gozo, no passenger taxes and no berthage charges on anchor plus there is a casino concession, guests get to enjoy an undiscovered island which has a lot to offer.

In 2015, Mifsud Brothers Ltd (MBL) handled four turnarounds: Star Clipper (two), Europa 2 and Serenissima once, a new client. Star Clipper will repeat two turnarounds in 2016.

“We have already more calls booked for 2016 than in 2015 which is a positive indicator”, notes Ivan Mifsud, joint managing director of MBL

Maiden calls of MV Minerva in Algeria.

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All Leisure’s MV Minerva recently called in the Ports of Bejaïa and Algiers in Algeria which were two out of six Mediterranean ports that the Minerva was calling on a cruise themed “Empires of the Mediterranean”.

 

Amongst the several guest speakers, was Graham Archer, a former British High Commissioner for Malta. As a diplomat he specialised in international relations and conflict resolution. Mr Archer and his wife went on tour in both Bejaïa and Algiers and were pleasantly surprised with the awesome archaeological remains dating back to the Roman Empire and he had this to say “passengers on Minerva were very complimentary about all the arrangements made for their excursions. We participated in the outings to Djemila and Tipasa which were very well organised. Despite the fairly long journeys involved everyone enjoyed travelling up to the high plateau from Bejaïa and also along the coast from Algiers. The information which the guides provided greatly enhanced the interest of the visits. Passengers also very much appreciated the hospitality of the Algerian café owners who kindly provided mint tea, coffee and delicious pastries. All commented on the efficiency of the local traffic police to manoeuvre the busses through the traffic”.

From Bejaïa, three expert guides, one of whom is the BBC correspondent another Algeria’s top Archaeologist and the other a knowledgeable on Culture were invited to sail on board to Algiers. That evening they participated in a Q&A session which was very well attended.

Next day in Algiers, guests had the opportunity to visit the archaeological site of Tipasa and the Mausoleum of Mauretania, the Casbah, the National Monument, La Grande Poste, and the French Quarters in the centre of Algiers. In the afternoon a limited number of guests opted for a unique tour which included a visit to the heritage Hotel El Djazaïr formerly known as the Saint George where Winston Churchill famously met with General Eisenhower in 1943.

A visibly pleased Ivan Mifsud and Mourad Larbi, joint managing directors of Algeria Cruise Services stated that “it is always a great personal satisfaction for us to see the positive reaction of guests after their Algeria experience”.