Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542413
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 JANUARY 2026 charged with involuntarily damag- tained. has taken place and CCTV footage NEWS Gozo records surge in passenger numbers over Christmas period Opposition accuses Gozo minister of hiding the truth behind Gozo Channel disruptions GOZO recorded a new high in passenger numbers during the Christmas period, with 301,041 travellers crossing between Malta and Gozo via the Gozo Channel and the Fast Ferry between 22 December and 4 January, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri has revealed. "The numbers themselves are already confirmation of the work we are carrying out and continue to fill us with more determination and enthusiasm to continue working and imple- menting the strategy we have for Gozo to become the island of every season," Camilleri said. The record figures came at a cost after operational diffi- culties last Friday, when Gozo Channel ships operated at re- duced passenger capacity, caus- ing lengthy delays at Mġarr Harbour. The Nationalist Party crit- icised the minister for "mis- management", claiming vessels ran at almost half capacity due to insufficient staff allocation, leaving thousands of passen- gers waiting over three hours in cold weather. The situation worsened when the Fast Ferry suspended service due to strong winds. PN Gozo spokesperson Chris Said accused Camilleri of "in- sulting people's intelligence" by blaming weather conditions whilst ignoring staffing issues that prevented vessels from op- erating at maximum capacity. The Opposition thanked Gozo Channel employees, police and Transport Malta officials for managing the chaotic situation. Despite the disruption, the festive period saw Gozo Chan- nel carry 258,710 passengers, representing a 6.7% increase on the previous year. Gozo High- speed, which operates the Fast Ferry between Valletta and Mġarr, transported 42,331 pas- sengers, a 29.05% increase over the 2024–2025 period, with 9,529 more travellers. The combined figures repre- sent a 9.3% increase over last year and a 133% surge com- pared to the 2012–2013 festive period under a Nationalist ad- ministration. Camilleri said Gozo had be- come the natural choice for thousands of Maltese and tour- ists choosing to spend time on the island as the year drew to a close, citing this as a key objec- tive of the Gozo Island of Vil- lages strategy. The minister also referenced a survey by the Gozo Tourism Association, in which 60% of tourism operators reported bet- ter performance than the previ- ous year, whilst 20% maintained similar levels. Camilleri said the elements that make Gozo distinct from other destinations, such as tran- quillity, calm and diverse activ- ities, must remain integral to future plans. He thanked those who chose Gozo during the festive season and everyone involved in deliv- ering over 165 Christmas-relat- ed activities across the island. Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri says Gozo has become natural choice for thousands of visitors as 301,041 passengers cross channel during festive season JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Gozo Channel carried 258,710 passengers between 22 December and 4 January THE Opposition has accused Gozo Min- ister Clint Camilleri of not being truthful about the chaos that disrupted travel be- tween Malta and Gozo during the festive season, claiming instead that the govern- ment's lack of investment, not weather conditions, caused these issues. PN MPs Chris Said and Toni Bezzina held a press conference at Ċirkewwa Har- bour, rejecting the minister's claim that bad weather caused the delays experi- enced last week. "The chaos in recent days for travellers between Malta and Gozo was unrelated to the weather, as Minister Clint Camill- eri suggested," they said. They argued that increased tourism is normal and should have been expected, and that the chaos on 2 January was due to years of government mismanagement at Gozo Channel. They said that, in the 13 years they have been in government, the Labour Party only acquired one second-hand vessel, the Nikolaos, which carries 400 passen- gers and costs about €15,000 per day to operate. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party in government invested €80 million to build three new vessels, each capable of carry- ing 900 passengers. The Opposition pointed out that on Fri- day, ships left the port half-full despite long queues of waiting passengers. They questioned why there weren't enough workers to keep ships operating at full capacity. "Clint Camilleri has not explained why, on the second day of the new year, when many were returning from Gozo to Mal- ta, there weren't enough workers to load all the passengers the ships could carry," they said. This led to thousands waiting hours in cold, windy, and rainy weather. With ships operating at only half capacity, about 1,000 people per trip were left be- hind, causing chaos at the Mġarr and Ċirkewwa terminals. The minister also blamed the non-oper- ation of the Fast Ferry. However, the opposition dismissed this, noting that the Fast Ferry carries only 300 passengers per trip and would have had little effect on the overall situation. The shadow ministers also criticised the government's broken promise to contrac- tor workers at Gozo Channel, who were supposed to get permanent positions but remain empty-handed. The PN urged the minister to reassure the public that last week's chaos will not happen again and to keep his promise to contractor workers. The party proposed its own plan for bet- ter connectivity, including investing in a new fleet of four modern vessels, stud- ying the addition of a goods transport vessel, modernising the ports of Mġarr and Ċirkewwa, and improving the road network to enable more efficient traffic management. Shadow Minister for Gozo Chris Said (right) and Shadow Minister for Transport, Agriculture and Fisheries Toni Bezzina (Photo: PN)