Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1468438
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MAY 2022 NEWS HUGO COIGNARD & ALEXANDR A EDELSBRUNNER TRAVELLING has become a guilty pleasure. Not because it's bad to learn about new cul- tures, natural phenomena, and to meet peo- ple. But because of the way we travel, aspiring to fly to the most exotic of locations, staying at luxurious resorts built in the most natural- ly beautiful places of the world, and explor- ing the "undiscovered" gems of a country. With all we do, we will leave an impact. Whether that will be a positive or a negative one lies in our responsibility. Mass tourism has completely transformed places before, the island of Malta being a perfect example. For an island that has just surpassed the half-million mark in number of residents according to the 2021 census, hosting up to 2.8 million tourists every year before COVID sounds simply crazy. Within a short span of time, infrastructure had to be built to accommodate these numbers of peo- ple, and continues to be built today. Every other day new construction site, a new bar, club, cafe, restaurant, service, or attraction emerge. Every year, new hotels and restau- rants open their doors. COVID has put a halt to that, however only temporarily. In order to prevent what has happened to Malta to repeat itself in its smaller "sister is- land" Gozo, residents are calling for change. Even though Gozo is often referred to as the "smaller sister", its dynamic resembles that of a mother. The untouched nature, and connectedness to over 7,000 years of history and culture is what makes it unique. In order to preserve these characteristics and make them resist- ant to mass tourism, people are calling for action, with the help of local activism, na- tional politics, and even the EU. Initiatives such as the "Eco-Gozo"-project, aiming to develop the island's infrastructure in a way that is protecting the environment and cultural identity while creating jobs in the tourism sector to ensure impactful eco- nomic growth. Or the EU-funded "ConsumeLess" label, certifying businesses to operate sustainably, with a focus on the reduction of water and energy usage and waste reduction. A long list of requirements had to be fulfilled to ensure that active change is happening, as opposed to what we know as "greenwashing". However, awarding a label doesn't solve all problems, which is why concerned residents Taking a step back to our roots can make way for greatest progress, and with mothers usually being right, Mother Gozo proves it Eco-Gozo? It will need more than a label... Thank you... for having bought this newspaper The good news is that we're not raising the price of our newspaper We know times are still hard, but we have pledged to keep giving our readers quality news they deserve, without making you pay more for it. So thank you, for making it your MaltaToday Support your favourite newspaper with a special offer on online PDF subscriptions. Visit bit.ly/2X9csmr or scan the QR code Subscriptions can be done online on agendabookshop.com Same-day delivery at €1 for orders up to 5 newspapers per address. Subscribe from €1.15 a week Same-day print delivery from Miller Distributors mt