GSD points out sign concerns

The GSD has questioned why signs in Gibraltar are not updated and maintained, in particular relating to the Windsor Bridge and the Mid-Town multi-storey car park.

The issue was raised in Parliament by Opposition MP Lawrence Llamas, who has been gathering feedback from tourists in Gibraltar and online.

Government minister Samantha Sacramento, who until recently held the tourism portfolio, replied: “When we need signs, it’s not like one can go to a supermarket and buy a sign…”

“Signs need to go before the planning authority and they need to be procured, it’s a whole system that needs to be in place.”

Mr Llamas, who pointed out that the bridge and car park projects were several months old, said the answer illustrated a lack of planning.

“Naturally this highlights the lack of planning and thought which goes into Government projects to the social and environmental detriment of visitors and locals as a whole,” Mr Llamas said.

“The Government have had ample time to plan, rectify or at the very least remedy their minor yet impacting details.”

Mr Llamas urged the government to consider the issues he had highlighted in an opinion piece in this newspaper recently and address them before the next peak tourism season.

He said this would help avoid “…the staggering increase in negative reviews being plastered on sites such as TripAdvisor, which has seen the “Terrible” ratings for the Rock of Gibraltar double in the last six months from 35 to 70 since reviews were commenced.”

While the number of negative reviews on Tripadvisor may have increased, the overwhelming trend is positive.

Yesterday, of the 2,779 ratings for Gibraltar on that website, 2,511 rated the Rock ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.