Supporting Tourism Growth Through InvestGozo Schemes

As tourism remains one of Gozo’s key economic pillars, and recent statistics indicate that the number of visitors choosing to holiday in Gozo continues to increase, InvestGozo is focused on supporting the sector through targeted financial assistance.

Building on the success of previous schemes, the current InvestGozo schemes available to niche tourism operators, accommodation providers, and employers aim to encourage business investment, quality employment, stronger marketing, and a year-round visitor economy.  Last year’s take-up of these schemes indicates that industry operators have recognised that these support mechanisms offer useful incentives that help them sustain and grow their current operations.  Any promotional campaign undertaken by an individual business also helps strengthen the island of Gozo’s visibility as a destination. This ties in well with the continued efforts to further build the VisitGozo brand while increasing the international competitiveness of Gozitan businesses. Such schemes also help promote year-round tourism and support sustainable tourism development. The injection of financial aid also stimulates private-sector investment which in turn elevates the provision of a quality service. 

The Promoting Gozo’s Niche Tourism Markets Scheme aims to promote authentic, specialised tourism experiences. This not only increases the international visibility of Gozitan tourism businesses but also positions Gozo as a sustainable, high-quality destination.   Gozitan artisans and craftspeople, the diving segment, wedding planners and organisers, and operators in gastronomy, wellness, MICE, and religious tourism can all benefit from this scheme through subsidised promotions. In fact, such businesses can be eligible to recover up to 75% of eligible marketing costs, which translates into a reimbursement of up to to €3,000 for advertising or participation in international fairs, and up to €4,500 when both are undertaken.   Eligible expenditure covers campaigns targeting local or international audiences, advertising in publications, on social media, on online platforms, or on television, and participation in international fairs/events abroad where Gozo is clearly promoted.     Such schemes enable small operators, for whom a major splurge into international marketing might be prohibitive, to launch campaigns in niche markets.   A successful yield from such an investment not only attracts new international clientele but also encourages niche tourism growth and spurs growth in other tourism sectors, all the while enhancing Gozo’s international profile.  

Link:  https://investgozo.gov.mt/supporting-marketing-initiatives-for-specific-niche-tourism-markets-in-gozo/

Specifically designed for accommodation operators in Gozo, the Supporting Marketing Initiatives for the Accommodation Sector in Gozo scheme aims to encourage accommodation providers to take their digital marketing efforts to the next level.  Recognising that the industry is past the age of simply creating a website or a social media presence, the focus is on implementing professional digital marketing plans rather than short, sporadic marketing efforts.   This kind of direction also strengthens the VisitGozo brand while promoting Gozo as a quality holiday destination.   Eligibility to this scheme is open to licensed accommodation establishments in Gozo that are officially registered with the Malta Tourism Authority.    In this scheme, accommodation operators can recoup up to 65% of eligible expenditure, capped at a maximum grant of €8,000, and applicants must be willing to invest a minimum of €5,500 (including the grant) in a marketing campaign that runs for 6–12 months.

At the core of this scheme is the creation of a digital marketing plan that must be developed by a professional digital marketing agency or manager.  Both domestic and international digital marketing initiatives are covered, and campaigns should be based on research, target the right audiences, and demonstrate a strong return on investment. The payment for this scheme is issued in two instalments: 50% at the campaign’s midpoint, and the remaining 50% upon completion of the campaign, tied to the submission of the campaign’s analytical performance results.  Such a scheme is meant to help businesses reap the immediate benefits of improved online visibility and increased direct bookings, without being weighed down by prohibitive costs.    This scheme was strikingly successful in 2025, when nearly €64,000 was distributed among 12 accommodation operators.

Link: https://investgozo.gov.mt/marketing-initiatives-for-accommodation-sector-in-gozo/

The third scheme, Supporting Sustainable Quality Employment in Gozo, is one which although does not primarily intend to target the tourism sector , is highly pertinent to the tourism industry addressing one of the main challenges in the sector: human resources.  This scheme is meant to encourage businesses to retain and attract skilled employees across all sectors in Gozo.  Operators in tourism businesses can include hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, dive centres, attractions, activity providers, transport operators, DMCs, travel agencies, and tourism-related service providers, all of whom can benefit by receiving support towards the salaries of eligible employees.  

Sustainable quality employment is essential to providing high-quality tourism packages on the island, across client-facing jobs, back-office and management roles.  It is very important to encourage businesses to retain and attract skilled employees and to improve wage levels across the industry.   Eligible applicants must be employers operating and registered in Gozo, and employees need to meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria.   Open to existing eligible employees, new full-time, indefinite employees engaged after November 2025, and long-term employees continuously employed since 2018 under previous schemes, the financial support through this scheme involves partial salary reimbursement over three years as indicated by the table below:

As one of InvestGozo’s most popular schemes, close to 500 applications were processed in 2025, resulting in financial aid of circa €348,000 allocated to eligible businesses.

Link: https://investgozo.gov.mt/sustainable-quality-employment-scheme/

Invest Gozo’s tourism-related schemes are intended to support businesses at different stages of development and encourage entrepreneurs to consider and pursue stronger marketing, improved employment conditions, and greater competitiveness without hesitation.   Applications are easy to access, and guidance is provided every step of the way.