Malta-Gozo permanent link should be a solution for the north of Malta too – Ivan Falzon
The CEO of the Gozo Regional Development Authority said that a permanent link between Malta and Gozo should not be simply to serve Gozo, but must serve as a solution for the north of Malta as well.
Speaking in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Ivan Falzon conceded that it does not appear that the proposed tunnel between the two islands will be happening any time soon, but said that it must continue to be studied.
The Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) works on the basis of the Gozo Regional Development Strategy which was launched in September 2023. Falzon explained that it is a high-level generic strategy based on eight principle themes ranging from connectivity down to culture and the arts.
He said that the GRDA issues a corporate plan with action points every year, showing what was achieved and what must be improved upon on a year-by-year basis. The 2024 report shows that some 85% of the targets for that year had been reached, he continued.
This strategy and the “mini-policies” that have come out of it are what have guided the GRDA in making tangible and pragmatic recommendations that can then be followed.
Connectivity is a major part of the strategy, and by far the biggest topic with regards to connectivity is the concept of a permanent link – more specifically, a tunnel – between Malta and Gozo.
Falzon, time and time again, has said that he is in favour of this tunnel being built, but when asked whether he thinks it will ever actually happen – particularly as it has once again been shelved by the government – he sighed and replied: “I don’t know.”
He said that the GRDA’s strategy indicates that the permanent link should continue to be studied because it can be a more sustainable and long-term solution. He added that the government is, in its actions, effectively saying that there are a lot of steps that can be taken before reaching this point, which is why there is investment in new ferries, more fast ferries, an airlink, and so on and so forth.
“This is all an indication that this project, yes, must continue to be studied, but it definitely won’t be something we see in the coming years,” Falzon said.
Falzon also noted that the question of the tunnel is sometimes related to Gozo too much. It is not only an issue concerning Mgarr and Ghajnsielem, he said, but also for the north of Malta. “An alternative link to Gozo needs to consider the difficulties in Xemxija Hill, Mellieha, and Manikata,” he said, noting that Manikata – a tiny hamlet – has now been turned into a major thoroughfare with some 500,000 vehicles passing through it every year.
“The permanent link to Gozo should be a solution for the north of Malta as well,” he said.
Ferry investment only makes sense now as activity in Gozo has increased – Falzon
Last month, the government announced the addition of two newly-built ships to the Gozo Channel fleet as part of a €130 million investment that will expand the service to five vessels, including a dedicated cargo ship by 2029.
Some may argue, however, that the investment should have been done earlier. Posed with this question, Falzon said that “if I have to look at it abstractly I would agree that this investment had to be done before”, but when looking at the development of Gozo, it is a matter of how the priorities were over the last few years – the first and foremost priority of which was to give life to the island.
“Had we kept the same number of activities that there was 10 years ago, I don’t think we’d have needed more investment,” Falzon said. “I think that the projections of activity never predicted that in the last few years it would multiply so much,” he added.
Falzon detailed the figures illustrating Gozo’s development over the past decade.
Overnight visitors rose from 339,662 people in 2014 to 581,440 in 2024 – an increase of 71%, while same day visitors rose from 791,345 people in 2014 to 1,855,932 in 2024 – an increase of 135%. The island’s registered population meanwhile has risen from 32,430 people in 2014 to 41,253 people in 2024 – an increase of 27%. Gozo’s GDP, meanwhile, has increased from €376.9 million to €992.9 million in that same period – an increase of 163%, something which Falzon admitted has “created pressure”.
“We’ve seen new trends,” Falzon said when commenting on the population increase in particular. “We have first and second generation Maltese from America, Canada, and Australia who have never lived in Malta but have chosen to retire in Gozo,” he said.
He also noted that there has been an increase in EU and third country nationals who work in the north of Malta but are choosing to live in Gozo because the rent is still slightly cheaper.
There is also a phenomenon of Maltese people buying property in Gozo and moving there permanently: Falzon said that in 2025 alone there were over 400 people holding a Maltese ID card but living in Gozo and working in Malta.
On the argument on when the investment for the ferries should have taken place, Falzon said that the initial priority for Gozo was, first and foremost, to increase activity. “Up until 2017, the number of trips remained the same, even though the number of visitors increased – so technically there was the capacity to cater for this growth,” he said.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened, Falzon said. “If I were the government my priority would not have been to put money and commit to new ferries,” he added.
The post-pandemic scenario was one of recovery, and it was within this context that in June 2021 the fast ferry – which Falzon described as a “game changer” – was launched. It was a game changer, he continued, because the number of visitors shot up, but the number of vehicles coming to Gozo remained at largely the same level.
The fast ferry has also reduced the number of Gozitan students who spend their weekdays living in Malta, Falzon noted. Previously, students would rent a flat in Malta – usually close to Msida – and live there from Monday to Thursday before then going to Gozo for the weekend.
“We have conversations with real estate agents who tell us that the demand from Gozitans for the Msida area has decreased, because the fast ferry has allowed them to commute daily,” he said.
He named other investments made: the park & ride service in Mgarr, the leasing of the fourth ferry – the MV Nikolaus – in 2019, and the announcement of a fast ferry between Gozo and Sliema and Bugibba, saying that this is fruit of the strategy which governs the GRDA.
“Maybe the investment [in new ferries] could have come a year or two earlier – but as far as priorities go, the biggest priority post-Covid was to wake the economy back up and get back to the levels of 2019, otherwise it would have been misguided to rush into this,” he said.
Airlink can be financially viable with government-led ‘framework of incentives’
There are plenty of other connectivity-related debates beyond the tunnel, though.
One of them is a renewed proposal for an airlink between Malta and Gozo. This will be made possible with the construction of a rural airfield on the island, and the government is hoping to start up a light aircraft service between the Malta International Airport and Gozo.
It is not the first time that attempts have been made for air connectivity to Gozo.
A helicopter service between Malta and Gozo lasted just 18 months, after the Spanish company, which operated it, shut up shop in 2006. A seaplane service, which operated between Mgarr Harbour and Valletta’s Grand Harbour lasted considerably longer – between 2007 and 2012 – but ultimately met the same fate as the helicopter.
So can this new idea be commercially viable? Falzon thinks that with a government-led “framework of incentives like there is with the fast ferry”, it can indeed be sustainable in the long-term. In the case of the fast ferry, the government stepped in to financially assist operators through a Public Service Obligation contract, so that the system could remain viable.
“The airlink is not going to solve the problems of students and workers, but it is a niche for high-value tourists which is also a part of our strategy,” he said.
Gozo is already attracting high quality tourists, he continued: the average expenditure of overnight visitors is slightly higher in Gozo than it is in Malta, and this is now being spread across the whole year.
The airfield also presents an economic opportunity for Gozo, Falzon said, as he noted that it can attract business such as flying schools which are struggling to operate from the Malta International Airport due to capacity issues there.
“Once the project is complete the government needs to engage stakeholders for economic niches which make sense for Gozo,” Falzon said.
Falzon also agreed that there are improvements that can be made to the island’s public transport system in order to encourage even more people to travel to the island without their cars.
The newly-launched Mgarr Task Force, he said, has a term of reference which reads “Less cars, more Gozo”.
“Gozo didn’t have a decent public transport system up until 2011. There was a huge improvement then, but now that system does not reflect the activity there is today – both in terms of tourists and those who live in Gozo,” he said.
Falzon also advocated for a booking system for the Gozo Channel ferry, and said that this is something that the GRDA’s strategy caters for and that the company is working on.
He said that people need to also change their culture in this regard: “We are used to turning up at Mgarr, going onto the boat and so on, but if we understand that if we organise ourselves better, it will be for the common good,” he said.
Such a system will also help with efficiency, because the company would know how many people are travelling and it would allow for foresight and planning – both on the part of the customers, who would have a guaranteed time slot to board the ferry and hence can plan accordingly, and for the operators.
“If you’re in Xlendi and see that the 5.30 and 6.30pm ferries are full, but the 7.30pm one isn’t, you can book and just leave in time for that one. Instead of spending two hours in Ghajnsielem waiting, you can be spending quality time instead,” he said.
He said that one of the most used features on the Gozo Channel website is the CCTV cameras, so people can check if there is a queue. “This means that people are asking us to invest and take stronger steps in this booking system.”
With an increase in activity envisioned courtesy of more ferries and more fast-ferries, the natural question is whether Mgarr Harbour needs to be expanded.
With regard to the expansion of the Mgarr Harbour, Falzon said the easiest answer is to say yes. “But I’m not one of those who departs from the point of demanding more. I think we need to start by optimising what we have now. There is always space to analyse and optimise the space we have. We are an island of a lot of limitations so we need to make sure we are taking the most from our available resources.”
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