Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540024
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. GozoToday is 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 ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 3 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Italian, British and French res- idents accounted for nearly half with 48% of total arrivals. The number of nights spent increased by 10% year-on-year, reaching 3.5 million, with 86% of guest nights spent in rented ac- commodation. The average stay stood at 7.4 nights. Tourist spending in August was estimated at €547.6 million, up 15% compared with the same month in 2024. The average ex- penditure per night was calculat- ed at €158.3. From January to August, in- bound tourists numbered 2.68 million, a rise of 12% compared with last year. Overnight stays grew by 10.4% to 16.9 million nights, while total spending climbed 18.2% to €2.56 billion. Average per capita expenditure also increased, from €906 in 2024 to €956 in 2025. 69% of arrivals headed to Gozo in August Gozo and Comino attracted 326,196 visitors in August, accounting for nearly seven in ten inbound tourists, with more than 1.5 million visiting the islands so far this year. FROM 1 January 2026, smoking at Ramla l-Ħamra in Gozo will only be permitted in designated zones. The measure, announced during the closing of the Saving Our Blue Summer Edition cam- paign, aims to reduce cigarette litter and protect coastal and ma- rine environments. Environment Minister Miri- am Dalli and Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said the zones will be equipped with ashtrays that are regularly cleaned. Cigarette butts, lighters, and tobacco waste are among the most frequently collected litter items on beaches, posing threats to marine life and the island's natural beauty. Dalli said the move was in- spired by conversations with children and aligns Malta with other countries that have intro- duced similar restrictions. "It is an environmental step address- ing cigarette waste that ends up in the sea and takes a long time to decompose, potentially lead- ing to a healthier coastal envi- ronment," she said. Abela described the initiative as a pilot project promoting smoke-free public spaces and a key part of the Ministry's policy framework to reduce smoking and prevent non-communicable diseases while protecting the en- vironment. Enforcement will be coordi- nated by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the Health Department, the Mal- ta Tourism Authority (MTA), the Local Enforcement System Agency (LESA), and the Malta Police Force. Fines of €150 will apply to those who violate the rules. The Sustainable Development Action Days run from 18 Sep- tember to 8 October, coinciding with European Sustainable De- velopment Week, and involve government entities, NGOs, businesses, and citizens across Malta and Gozo promoting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Smoking on Ramla Bay restricted to designated areas from 2026 From 1 January 2026 smoking at Ramla Bay will only be permitted in designated zones 326,196 people visited Gozo and Comino in Agust