The Cauldron: Welcome to Gibraltar

A couple of weeks ago Albert Freyone published an ‘open letter’ in this newspaper. It details with passion the current state of Gibraltar and how it’s falling far short of what it should be in terms of a visitor destination. Albert pulls no punches and my favourite quote has to be this:
“We cannot out-mall Spanish malls, and we should stop trying.”

Visitors always tell me how much they love Gibraltar’s open air old-school shopping experience. The little lanes, tree-lined Main Street, cafes, bars; the hubbub of society coming out of the cathedral or going into the bank and post office. It’s what small towns in the UK wish to return to, many decrying the loss of their bustling high street. Why would Gibraltar even consider constructing a shopping mall on the site of the old Cepsa petrol station? Not only would it be a blot on the landscape, it would be a foolhardy mission as La Linea is constructing a brand-new mall just metres away. Nobody goes on holiday to a sunny, Mediterranean destination in order to wander aimlessly around a windowless generic mall, and that particular folly needs a rethink.

Soon the Spain – Gibraltar hard land frontier will vanish, and something will need to be done with our entry point. The current ‘front door’ into Gibraltar is a disgrace to say the very least.

The Government have rightly waited for the treaty to be finalised before wasting money on refurbishment, but now the date has been set, and 10th April 2026 will be etched in Gibraltar history forever.

I have cringed at recent comments about making sure visitors will know they are entering a BRITISH TERRITORY. I hope the government don’t plaster the area with Union Jacks, that is not who we are! We want to welcome tourists into our unique Gibraltar. A curious place with its own identity and certainly not ‘Britain in the sun’ (I really dislike that expression). Britain in the sun is Benidorm and its ilk, Gibraltar is different. I speak from experience as in early 1991 I was on a European road trip with two friends; we spent one night in Benidorm and couldn’t wait to get out. Weeks later we drove into Gibraltar for the very first time and found it fascinating enough to stay.

Even back in those dismal days of cars driving up Main Street and Casemates being one big parking zone, Gibraltar stood out as a quirky little haven. To me it was never ‘Britain in the sun’ far from it, Gibraltar reeks of the mediterranean with its shuttered buildings and palm trees (and the fact that the overriding language on the street is Spanish in one form or another). I was drawn in by a more tropical flavour, late night corner shops in the upper town selling Moroccan slippers and bunches of coriander. Beautiful architecture, winding streets, history, heritage, botanical gardens, wildlife, monkeys, caves, access to the sea. It was refreshing not to see binge-drinking pub culture or fights at taxi ranks after closing time. To the newcomer Gibraltar is exotic and distinctive, a place which should boast its individuality. I’m not sure the people who have made the decisions about our tourist product over the years fully understand this.

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, a very unusual situation existed in the middle of the city. The former border created a once-in-a-generation development opportunity. One of the most dramatic examples is Tempelhof Airport. After it stopped being used for flights, it was not sold off or built over. Instead, the city opened it as Tempelhofer Feld – a public open landscape. It represents a clear political choice: open space was valued more than real-estate development. Berlin did not treat all newly available land as building plots. There was a sensible, measured balance between rebuilding the city and protecting open spaces.

Gibraltar has been gifted a new large space at North Front, and we must be cautious before hitting the drawing board. The entire area needs to be seen as a whole and not carved up by vested interests. Imagine yourself walking into Gibraltar from Spain, what would you like to see? First impressions count and what we have now is peeling paint, inadequate signs, out of date media, a broken coffee machine, piles of cigarette buts and badly designed pavements. Gibraltar should not take for granted the fact that people will always want to visit our famous Rock. As Albert Freyone says: “Quality over quantity, experience over volume, a sense of polish and confidence, not excess, the kind of quiet sparkle that makes people feel they are somewhere that cares about how it presents itself.”

You don’t need a ragged Union Jack or a photo of Fish n’ Chips to tell people, ‘We’re not in Spain anymore’. Our “Welcome To Gibraltar” should not be a garish billboard with faded lettering and peeling edges or bus stops plastered with ads for fast food chains. A greeting sculpture should be made with stone, tiles, planting and materials that need little maintenance yet always look classy. Imagine a tree lined alameda leading up to the runway with benches, flower beds, fountains, a red telephone kiosk, a classic post box. Place a ‘kiss me in Gibraltar’ mosaic seat with the Rock as a backdrop (that tiny cheap metal sign on a rusty pole at Europa Point is an embarrassment!) Commemorate the iconic John & Yoko runway moment and use it as a tourist attraction.

The western side of the entrance needs to be a wide-open flat thoroughfare for walkers and cyclists to glide in towards the runway crossing at ease. People should not be bombarded with vehicular traffic the minute they step inside; there’s ample space nearby for designated Taxi ranks, tourist transport and public bus stops. Designers must think as pedestrians and not as drivers.

In every European city the tourist information centres open 7 days a week from 9-6pm, why doesn’t that happen here? The Gibraltar experience should be easy for visitors to navigate with clear multi-lingual signs, public amenities and smooth, clean pavements. April 10th, 2026, is going to mark a seismic turning point in Gibraltar’s history. Our doors will be flung wide open, and we should focus our economy on a sustainable tourist product to be proud of. We need to give our visitors the red-carpet-treatment when they step across that line, a real WOW factor.