Govt’s tourism policy has ‘failed’, GSD says

The Gibraltar Government has ‘failed’ in its tourism policy, the GSD said as it hit out on tourist expenditure and maintenance of sites.
The GSD outlined how the local economy has “lost out by hundreds of millions of pounds” due to the “failure” of government policies in the six years up until 2018.
In a press statement the Opposition highlighted that under the GSLP administration the government had not achieved the equivalent in tourism expenditure as was attained in 2010 and 2011 under the GSD.
GSD spokesman for tourism Trevor Hammond also stressed the “lack of maintenance” of local tourist sites.
“Despite the millions spent on a bridge and glass walk way, the latter of which has suffered from a total lack of maintenance almost since the day it opened,” said Mr Hammond.
“This lack of maintenance illustrates so much about this GSLP administration. Build lots, spend lots but forget basic maintenance requirements.”
“Whatever Government might say about its marketing strategy, it has failed to get tourists to spend their money in Gibraltar.”
Mr Hammond added that the GSD’s analysis has shown that the 2018 inflation adjusted figure for expenditure was under £240m, “more that £40m short of the 2011 figure”.
“Even having introduced a charge for access to the upper Rock, a sensible measure which should guarantee tourist spend money, the Government has still failed to achieve tourist expenditure figures comparable with those under the last GSD administration,” Mr Hammond said.
He added: “The GSLP have been a tourism catastrophe and no amount of spin can disguise this fact when their own figures expose just how poor their performance has been”.