Gozo Channel figures confirm that the number of passengers travelling between the two islands remained practically unchanged – at just under 1.62 million.
In 2020, the bulk of passenger traffic took place in the first 3 months, before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which led to a ban on non-essential travel between the two islands. While 1,038,142 passengers took the ferry between January and March of that year, the number dropped to just 907,453 between April and June.
This year, however, the number of Covid-19 cases peaked at the beginning of the year – leading to a fresh ban on non-essential travel in March. But numbers subsequently fell – before the latest surge – and the ban was lifted. Consequently, while 710,749 passengers took the Gozo Channel ferries between January and March, 907,453 used the ferries in the subsequent 3 months.
A total of 7,255 Gozo Channel ferry trips were made between April and June, a 36% increase when compared to 2020 figures.
The number of vehicles making the crossing increased by 45% to 409,569, translating to a ratio of around 2.2 passengers per vehicle.