The island of Gozo, part of the Maltese archipelago, offers culture, history, identity, tranquillity and beauty, all from its small 67sq km home in the heart of the Mediterranean. The island has a long and diverse history, boasting the oldest freestanding megalithic temples in the world – the Ggantija Temples in Xagħra, a coveted UNESCO World Heritage site. For centuries, visitors have been captivated by the island’s raw beauty and authenticity, which are found so rarely across the rest of the modern world.
Connected to mainland Malta by a scenic 25-minute ferry ride that runs every hour, Gozo is more accessible than you might think. Malta International Airport in itself is connected to 96 European airports, giving Gozo an ideal location that is both within easy reach and blissfully away from it all.
Sustainability has been at the core of the island’s tourism strategy; a sector that contributes extensively to Gozo’s economic accomplishments
Hidden gems
When the English poet and artist Edward Lear visited the island in 1866, he noted of Gozo’s beautiful coastline that it “may truly be called Pomskizillious and Gromphibberous, being as no other words can describe its magnificence”. Today, Pomskizillious is the name of a toy museum in Xagħra Gozo; one of the island’s true hidden gems. Other such treasures are scattered throughout the island in the form of beautifully kept museums, galleries and wonderful baroque churches. The presence of these exquisite churches, which spring up from the heart of almost every village on the island, means that a religious imprint can be felt all across Gozo.
Gozitans are very proud of their identity, and as religion was one of the factors that first helped the population to form such individuality, it is unsurprising that its importance to the island should be recognised so openly: during a brief interlude of independence from French-ruled Malta, the Catholic prelate Archpriest Saver M Cassar took the reigns of administration for the island. Gozo was known as an autonomous district between 1798 and 1800, and so until 1864 the island’s residents continually petitioned for the Pope to formally name the island as an independent diocese. Despite various setbacks, Gozitans reached their goal, and in the process forged a unique character that marked the extent of their entrepreneurial and independent spirit.
Passion for culture
Such developments helped to form the thriving culture and lifestyle that is characteristic of Gozo today. Small townsfolk bands, which were first formed to ensure that all social occasions (including grand feasts of patron saints) were celebrated properly, were the first stage in a rise of countless musicians and artists across the decades. As such, the island has since established an active, year-round cultural calendar – one that is especially impressive considering Gozo’s minute size.
Such a passion for cultural festivities is fuelled by a budding voluntary sector, which supports a schedule that includes internationally renowned festivals such as the Mediterranea, the Victoria International Arts Festival, and the Gaulitana Music Festival. The latter, spurred by the success that came from staging the opera Tosca in 2014, will this year be producing another opera; the Rigoletto. Furthermore, opera and classical music fans are always in for a treat in Gozo, as the two main opera theatres in Victoria – Astra and Aurora – hold two operas every October, with this year’s performances being La Traviata and La Boheme.
Gozo seems to be a cradle for a number of artists who have staked their claim internationally. Gozitan sculptor Austin Camilleri has had his work prominently displayed in front of the new parliament building in Valletta, Malta. This sculpture – which depicted a three-legged horse; a symbol of crippled power and authority – caused some controversy in the town, but is nonetheless a true testament to the spirit of the proudly unconventional Gozitan people.
Ecological projects
Gozo maintains a keen focus on sustainable development, being aware that such programmes are vital for the island if it wants to conserve and continually enrich its existing prosperous cultural heritage. When the Ministry for Gozo first launched its Eco-Gozo action plan several years ago, few would have predicted the huge strides that the island would make in such a short amount of time. The ministry’s vision is not based merely on thinking green, but on achieving a stable and healthy environment, thus ensuring a better quality of life for everybody on the island.
Projects have since been founded with a focus on water conversation, culture, renewable energy and sustainable agricultural practices. Educational campaigns have been at the heart of all these activities. The Eco-Gozo vision has succeeded in putting a firm label on such sustainable operations, and these efforts have not gone unnoticed: the scheme was named as a national champion in the 2015 European Business Awards for its impressive focus on environmental and corporate sustainability. Sustainability has also been at the core of the island’s tourism strategy; a sector that contributes extensively to Gozo’s economic accomplishments. The island’s two existing five-star hotels are already eco-certified, along with seven refurbished farmhouses in the self-catering sector.
Gozo is also focusing its efforts on promoting small and sustainable niches that will ensure a better visitor spread through the year, thereby ending the island’s dependence on the peak season. These attractions include adventure sports such as diving, kayaking and climbing, as well as walking tours and cultural tourism.
This sustainability centres on earmarking the island’s potential to attract the right investment opportunities – particularly those that provide a secure future for the next generation. Recent projects, including an agreement with Barts (a faculty within Queen Mary University of London) which will see a medical school opened in Gozo, show that the island offers the perfect setting for endless sustainable investment opportunities. The island’s government has also expressed an interest in constructing a new general hospital and a geriatric hospital, both of which would accompany the forthcoming medical school.
Island scenery
Indeed, Gozo has significant potential across many areas of development. The island’s rusticity and idyllic scenery provide the ideal getaway from the challenges of daily life, with its exquisite coastline marked by beauties including the Azure Window. Elsewhere, localities such as Mġarr ix-Xini have been utilised as the setting for many illustrious film productions, including By the Sea, starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Gozo also has some of the most stunning diving locations in the Mediterranean, with the Blue Hole being one of the most popular sites on the island. The government has invested heavily in this key sector by both scuttling a number of wrecks along the island’s shores and developing some of its important facilities; namely the hyperbaric chamber at Gozo General Hospital. In addition, the private sector has shown its support for these developments by establishing a number of professional diving schools across the island.
The island is also generating interest among several other sporting groups: despite the island not having any mountains, a number of climbing routes have been established among the rock formations on its coastline, which have since been tested by some of the world’s most renowned climbers.
Constant development
The governing body is now intent on developing other sectors, including the island’s MICE industry. Gozo’s vast potential as a destination for corporate meetings and events stems from its deep-rooted culture for hospitality, which dates as far back as Homer’s Odyssey. In the text, Homer names Gozo as the island on which Ulysses spends seven years while under the enchantment of the nymph Calypso. Calypso Cave in the village of Xaghra is now a destination that is visited by thousands of tourists every year, renowned for its ethereal natural beauty and the views of the stunning Ramla Bay red sands that are spread far below in the valley.
Other potential areas for development are also being explored, with the island now reviewing the international interest for a potential cruise liner terminal and yacht marina. Gozo is also investing in a new mooring system near the picturesque Xlendi Bay, which would be targeted toward boutique liners. The possibility of a sustainable air link between Malta and Gozo, which would ensure increased accessibility to the island, is also being examined.
However, aside from its vast potential for future developments, the island has also enjoyed some tremendous achievements across its existing projects. The success of the national education strategy has translated itself into the availability of the human resources that are required for new ventures to be set up in Gozo. As such, the recent approval for an established software company that specialises in payment systems to set up an office on the island is evidence of the fact that today’s globalised and interconnected world has provided renewed opportunities for locations just like Gozo.
Additionally, companies wishing to take advantage of Malta Enterprise’s specific investment benefits can also invest and work in Gozo. The island’s tranquil Mediterranean lifestyle makes for an ideal business location, and its exclusive developments have helped to build a reputation for the island as a great place to work, rather than to simply retreat.
Full of life
Gozo is humming with life and interesting projects – one of which has seen the extensive restoration of both the Gozo Citadel, which dominates the island’s skyline, and the Banca Giuratale, which was once the seat of Gozo’s government. The renovation of the citadel will also see its mid-19th century water reservoir transformed into a new visitors’ centre.
While many islands globally have found themselves facing a declining path towards complete anonymity, Gozo has consciously turned in the opposite direction. Priding itself on being unconventional, beautiful and completely surprising, the island is the ideal destination for investment and relocation.
