Tiny beautiful Gozo top sustainable destination

Tiny Gozo is packed full of environmental beauty, history and culture and now it’s become one of the world’s Top100 Sustainable Destinations

Gozo has both the beaches with a bathing water qualified "Excellent" and heritage sites, such as the Medieval Citadel or the world’s oldest temples of Ggantija recognised by UNESCO. Moreover, most of the local food and dishes in Gozo are 100% organic and it is one of the targets of the "Eco-Gozo island 2020" strategy. Gozo also promotes eco-education in schools through NGOs programs.

One of three inhabited islands that are part of Malta’s island group, Gozo is tiny.  But although the island has a surface of just 67 square kilometers, it is packed full of wonders. Gozo is distinguished from Malta by its green nature and rustic setting. With its unspoiled nature, cultural and historical sites and numerous annual festivals it is a fabulous twinkling gem of a destination for visitors.

If you’re looking for a green island with its own local identity, Gozo is a perfect place to visit. The beautiful bays, the green hills and the impressive rock formations gives the island an unique beauty.

The island boasts 7000 years of history, including the oldest free-standing megalithic temples, that are a UNESCO World Heritage site – the -gantija Temples in Xag-§ra . Anyone who sets foot here, is captured by the raw beauty and the authenticity that places elsewhere have lost.

Through its ecoGozo initiative the Ministry for Gozo has also conducted actions focusing on the conservation and preservation of its natural environment.  Gozo’s efforts have been consistently recognised among the international community as it was awarded the Quality Coast Gold Award in 2012 and 2016.  In 2014 Gozo also featured among the Top 100 Global Sustainable Destinations.

Local food and wine in this warm culture are also very important and are an integral part of the sustainable tourism offer. The Ministry for Gozo has undertaken various initatives to promote local artisans and producers including the support and promotion of specific festivals including a Farm to Fork Festival Next step is a quality mark brand for Gozo products which will benefit both local artisans and visitors who want an authentic taste of this beautiful island.

The cheese is a key part of pastizzi – miniature pasties ideal for snacking as you marvel at hideaway harbours, soaring coastal arches and 5500-year-old ruined temples, or potter along walking trails where giant churches visible from all over the island’s gently undulating landscape provide striking waymarkers that mean you’re as unlikely to get lost as ever go hungry!

For meal breaks, rather than touristy restaurants seek out village bars serving Gozitan tapas. Try zalzett (coriander-flavoured sausage) and bigilla (broad bean paste) with crusty Gozitan hob-¼ sourdough bread. It’s great to just dip in local organic olive oils famed for light acidity and a hint of saltiness from sea breezes. Time your visit for a village festival (festa) and they’ll also be sweet treats like imqaret (date pastries) to help fuel the fun.

Distinctive Gozitan wines and beers add local liquid pleasure to your days here. For the most traditional experience, look for bars serving jugs of wine rather than bottles – filled with fruits of a terroir whose strong sun and cooling sea breezes creates round-bodied, fruity wines with good structure and – some say – a hint of briny tang. Tal-Massar Winery has popular tours and tastings. Beer lovers, meanwhile, can sup Gozo’s very own artisan brews courtesy of the Lord Chambray microbrewery, opened in Xewkija in 2014 – they have tasting visits too.

The island’s characterful small producers also come up trumps for souvenirs. Visit the famous saltpans near Qbajjar Bay and look for veteran Manuel Cini, often perched on a wall here to sell his wonderful sea salt – a timeless tradition reborn in the 21st century. Or look out for Carmen Muscat and her pure honey in the idyllic Wied Rihan Valley

Gozo will become an eco-island by 2020, supported by a keen and committed sustainable community. We want to see quality of life in Gozo improving further through education, economic development and social progress. Gozo will strive to reduce its carbon and water footprints. We want to protect the Gozitan lifestyle, the island’s environment, resources, culture and identity, and see that all these play a significant part in attracting more visitors and investors to the island.

The eco-island foresees a sustainable, and therefore, a secure future for the island of Gozo.  It is a vision rooted in the island’s potential and the capabilities of its people.EcoGozo is a vision for an island to become even more beautiful, inspiring, welcoming, thriving, inclusive and successful.  A healthy and successful place to live in, in equilibrium with the environment.  This is essentially what eco-island will strive to achieve. 

Just one example is the EcoGozo Biodiversity Explorer.  ecoGozo Regional Development Directorate launched an ambitious initiative, aimed at providing information and raising awareness on the rich biodiversity in Gozo. The main objective of this project is to install a large number of information panels for trees and shrubs in parks and open spaces. Twenty information plaques were placed on a variety of trees lining the lower part of Marsalforn Valley.

These plaques convey unique and interesting information about each tree in Maltese and English, including the scientific and common name, family information, flowering time, natural habitats, region of origin, height, and medicinal, nutritional or cultural uses. Nearly 200 plaques will be installed on trees and shrubs and Villa Rundle Gardens by the end of the year. For the future, this initiative could be extended to other parks in Gozo, or even rural and countryside areas with walking trails.

During 2017, these panels were linked to a digital online database to  provide further information and images on each species through the users smartphone or tablet. This initiative is another step forward in achieving the ecoGozo vision through biodiversity awareness.

So, great food and wine, great sights a well-preserved natural world, it’s no wonder that Gozo has started the #GozoProud campaign – they have much to be proud about!

More information:

https://www.visitgozo.com/

https://www.visitgozo.com/what-to-do-in-gozo/experience/tastes-of-gozo/

http://www.ecogozo.com/