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Press Releases
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Gharb- A new European Destination of Excellence
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The village of Għarb in Gozo is the local winner of the 5th edition of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) Award. The Award, which is co-funded by the European Commission and the Malta Tourism Authority aims to promote sustainable tourism models in Europe while drawing attention to the values, diversity and common features of European destinations. The project focuses on emerging destinations which manage their tourism in a sustainable way.
The Award is based on a theme which is unique to every edition with each country managing the selection process to choose the best destination. The theme for this year was “Regeneration of Physical Sites”, targeting localities which have regenerated a physical site and transformed it into a tourism attraction. The Award is essentially an achievement gained for the efforts made by destinations to offer a sustainable and innovative tourism product, encouraging localities to implement projects which form part of a larger regeneration plan.
Locally, a total of 10 applications were received, with Għarb making it to the first place. Għarb Local Council presented “Wied il-Mielah” as their regeneration project. The project, which started in 2006, sought to transform the valley from a neglected area to an ecological and sustainable tourism site. The project was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 aimed to restore the valley to its natural state and mainly involved the reconstruction of rubble walls and major cleaning works, while phase 2 was focused on giving the area a tourist dimension. The project included the installation of long-range binoculars, interactive tourist information kiosks, Wi-fi connectivity, and the installation of fixed stairs to enable access to the sea . Other activities included landscaping, the resurfacing of the valley road, the building of bridges and dams, the creation of a country walk and the production of marketing material. The Local Council is planning other activities to further develop sustainable tourism in the locality. Further information on Wied il-Mielaħ can be found on http://wiedilmielah.gharbnet.com.
The localities of Zurrieq, Nadur, Santa Venera and Zejtun have also been recognised for their efforts in developing sustainable tourism projects involving regeneration of sites. Għarb will have the opportunity to participate in the EDEN Network together with other European destinations and the previous local winners Mellieha, Nadur, Santa Lucija (Gozo) and Isla. |
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