Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546262
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 DEPUTY EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 21 AUGUST 2026 NEWS GOZO Channel operated 814 trips during the eight-day San- ta Marija period, carrying nearly 150,000 passengers and close to 54,000 vehicles, according to fig- ures released by the company on social media. The figures highlight the signif- icant increase in demand for the Gozo-Malta ferry service during one of the busiest periods of the summer. Across the eight days, Gozo Channel carried an average of 18,533 passengers and 6,703 ve- hicles per day, while an average of 102 ferry trips were operated daily. In total, the service transported almost 150,000 people between the islands and handled close to 54,000 vehicles over the period. The Santa Marija weekend is tra- ditionally one of the busiest times of the year for travel between Mal- ta and Gozo, with thousands of people crossing to spend the pub- lic holiday and surrounding days on the island. Gozo Channel described the pe- riod as eight busy days of "connec- tions", with the figures reflecting the sustained demand for its ferry services. The company said the opera- tions were aimed at maintaining connectivity between Malta and Gozo throughout the busy period. The Santa Marija feast, celebrat- ed on 15 August, falls during the peak of Malta's summer season, when traffic between the two is- lands typically increases signifi- cantly. Reporting by Laura Calleja Close to 54,000 vehicles crossed between Malta and Gozo during Santa Marija week Piecemeal hotel expansion in Xlendi valley seeks nine more rooms A boutique hotel in Munxar could be expanded by a further nine rooms under a new plan- ning application, continuing a series of developments on a sensitive Outside Development Zone (ODZ) site overlooking Wied ix-Xlendi/Wied il-Lunz- jata. The application, submitted by Caillin Borg, proposes in- creasing the existing approved 18-room hotel to 27 rooms. It also includes an indoor pool at basement level and three additional rooms at each of semi-basement, ground and up- per-ground-floor levels. The property along Triq ix-Xlendi is located on steep valley slopes within an Area of High Landscape Value, Area of Ecological Importance, Natura 2000 Special Area of Conserva- tion and Site of Scientific Impor- tance. The site's planning histo- ry stretches back decades. The two-storey residential building predates 1968, while permits issued between 1993 and 2004 allowed a coffee shop, terrace, swimming pool and other addi- tions, including the conversion of a bar into a bedroom. A major change came in 2015 through PA/03248/15, which sought to change the proper- ty's use from residential to a Class 3A boutique hotel. The approved scheme provided for 13 rooms, a pool, breakfast ar- ea, reception, lounge and other facilities. The proposal had raised envi- ronmental concerns. The Envi- ronment Protection Directorate, which preceded ERA, warned of further intensification beyond the existing built-up area, in- cluding excavation into the steep valley sides, visual intrusion and permanent impacts from rock cutting and site clearance. The Natural Heritage Advisory Committee also described the proposal as highly objectionable from a natural heritage perspec- tive because of the extensive ad- ditions to the existing building and its location within the pro- tected valley. The scheme was subsequent- ly scaled down, including the removal of one basement level, before being approved. A 2017 permit later increased the ap- proved accommodation to 18 rooms. The latest application would therefore mark a further step in the site's transformation from a pre-1968 residence into a 27-room hotel within a protect- ed rural landscape. The current site earmarked in red JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Gozo Ferry Terminal (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)