Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525730
3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 23 AUGUST 2024 NEWS GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. We will strive to bring you the news over the next three months. At this stage we are planning to take advantage of the influx of local and foreign visitors to this marvellous Mediterranean Island. But we could be tempted to continue with this newspaper project beyond the Summer months. GozoToday will be published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt GozoToday is published by MediaToday in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo and Planning MINISTERU GĦAL GĦAWDEX U LIPPJANAR AS in previous years, the Santa Marija holiday week proved very busy - if not entirely lucrative - for the Gozitan tourist industry. Between Monday 12 and Sun- day 18 August, Gozo Channel Company operated 704 trips between Malta and Gozo utilis- ing its four ships and sometimes foregoing set timetables to deal with demand. During the same week, the company ferried 135,658 passen- gers and 46,738 vehicles, which are in line with figures recorded in the same week in 2023. At the same time, Gozo High- speed - which operates the fast ferry service between the two islands - operated 221 trips and ferries 28,551 passengers be- tween Valletta and Mgarr and vice vera. Clint Camilleri, minister for Gozo and planning, said that this particular week, once again, met the expectations of of tourist op- erators in Gozo. "We have received a lot of pos- itive feedback from operators in the industry who reported full capacity during this particular, which still proves to be the best week of summer," he said. Camilleri said that these fig- ures are proof that the work be- ing carried out by the ministry is continuing to attract both do- mestic and inbound tourism to Gozo. "The numerous activities on of- fer, coupled with Gozo's natural beauty, make this island the ob- vious destination for many," he said. "And the feedback we are receiving is very encouraging." Maltese and tourists chose Gozo for Santa Marija holidays ARNOLD Cassola has requested the Commissioner for Environment and Planning to investigate the Planning Authority's sanctioning of Joseph Portelli's illegal penthouses in Sannat. On Wednesday, Cassola wrote to the Commissioner for Environment and Planning within the Ombudsman's office, as he drew his attention to the sanctioning. Earlier in August, the PA sanctioned two illegal penthouses in Sannat despite the fact that they were declared unlawful by the court. "The decision to approve sanctioning for these illegal structures raises serious questions about the integrity and re- sponsibility of the PA," Cassola wrote. He noted the gravity of the fact that such a statement made by Malta's high- est court was ignored, adding that this establishes a dangerous precedent for future developments. Cassola requested the Commissioner to examine whether the proper process was followed prior to the decision to sanction, and whether there were any irregularities or influences that could have led to the PA's decision. Cassola stated that the PA's actions go against the preservation of the natural environment and proper developments that are built according to the legal framework. "It is imperative that re- sponsibility is ensured," he concluded. Cassola requests investigation into PA's sanctioning of Portelli's illegal penthouses Earlier in August, the PA sanctioned two illegal penthouses in Sannat despite the fact that they were declared unlawful by the Courts