Gozo Channel carries 135,660 passengers during Santa Marija week

Santa Marija week once again proved to be a blockbuster period for Gozo’s tourism sector, with the ferries between the islands operating shuttle services to keep up with the demand.

Gozo Channel, which operates the main ferry line between Ċirkewwa and Gozo, carried around 135,660 passengers and 46,740 vehicles betwen Monday 12th and Sunday 18th August, according to the Ministry for Gozo.

“Gozo Channel, by means of four ships, operated no less than 700 trips where, for some time, journeys began to take place even without schedule to meet demand,” said the Ministry, noting that the total traffic was very similar to that carried by the company during the same week last year.

During the same week, Gozo Highspeed, which operates the fast ferry service between the islands, operated around 220 trips and carried around 28,550 passengers from Valletta to Gozo and back.

Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri said that once again, this particular week in the year has met the expectations of tour operators on the island of Gozo.

"We have had very positive comments from the tour operators where they all registered full capacity during this week of the year which is considered the best week of the summer," said Minister Camilleri.

"Through a wide selection of activities, complemented by the natural beauty that Gozo offers, we are being the natural choice of many, and the comments we are receiving are very encouraging," said the Minister.