At press conference held today to discuss tourism at their campaign headquarters in Irish Place, Gilbert Licudi, who has been responsible for the area for a number of years said that “no Government has ever invested so much in tourism, both in time and funding, as the GSLP Liberal Government has  - over a million pounds a year”. He outlined the GSLP-Liberals’ plans for the next four years alongside the Leader of the GSLP Liberals, Fabian Picardo.

Gilbert Licudi said: “Over £1 million is spent each year in marketing and promoting Gibraltar in addition to significant amounts in enhancing our tourist product and in supporting and sponsoring international cultural and sporting events.

“Tourism represents a crucial aspect of Gibraltar’s economy. Over seven million visitors each year generate important revenue for the Government but also, crucially, for the private sector. Transport operators, taxi drivers, restaurants, bars, shops and hotels all benefit. It also contributes to the creation of employment and is in part responsible for the record low numbers of unemployment which we now see in Gibraltar,” explained Mr Licudi.

“The GSLP Liberals launched the Gibraltar ‘A Year of Culture’ campaign to the international press at the World Travel Market in London. This showcases Gibraltar’s culture and diversity as well as the many attractions which Gibraltar has to offer tourists,” he added.

The incumbent government has launched ‘Gibraltar 2020’, an initiative aimed at bringing 200 travel agents from the UK to Gibraltar.

“Our outlook is really an international one, if you look at the reach of what we have tried to do it really has changed the approach that there has been to Gibraltar tourism before. We have an ambitious agenda for Gibraltar”, said the Leader of the GSLP-Liberals.

The GSLP- Liberals also stated that although they would continue to “constantly improve our tourist product” it was important for the attractions to also provide venues for local residents to enjoy. “The parks, the walks and the highline, all of these things are connected as much to tourism, as to transport, as they are to the environment,” added Mr Picardo.

“We now have the Windsor Suspension Bridge which offers panoramic views over the Bay. We built the Skywalk, a spectacular viewing platform. Gibraltar came to the attention of millions of Star Wars fans worldwide when the Skywalk was opened by Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Films. The Skywalk also featured as a backdrop to the Bing search engine in July of this year. Bing, which is operated by Microsoft, has 137 million users and over 6 billion monthly searches. The use by Bing of an amazing picture of the Skywalk and the Rock represents an enormous exposure of Gibraltar as a tourist destination,” explained Mr Licudi.

If re-elected, the GSLP-Liberals promise to make changes for a new and enhanced attraction at St Michael’s Cave. “Using advanced technologies and awe-inspiring projections this unique setting will take visitors on an unforgettable journey through Gibraltar’s history and natural history,” added Mr Licudi.

“We’re going to turn St Michael’s Cave into an IMAX cinema of the history of Gibraltar. It is going to be absolutely remarkable,” claimed the leader of the GSLP-Liberals, Fabian Picardo, in response to questions from the press.

“In addition, we continue to focus on event-led tourism. World class cultural and sporting events feature heavily in the GSLP Liberal strategy to bring visitors to Gibraltar and to create entertainment for all to enjoy. The ever-growing list includes a number of festivals, including the literary, food, and jazz festivals as well as the Gibraltar Music Festival. We have international darts, snooker, chess and backgammon competitions, to name but a few. And this year, 11,000 local residents and visitors were able to enjoy a fabulous concert featuring Andrea Bocelli and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as local talent”, said GSLP-Liberal candidate, Gilbert Licudi.

Below: The GSLP-Liberals manifesto sets out plans for a new naval and military museum.

“We are in discussions with Cirque du Soleil to create a custom-made show for Gibraltar which would be performed. This promises to be an unforgettable experience with a unique show showcasing our history, heritage, culture, diversity and identity as a people”, he added.

Gilbert Licudi concluded by saying “only a GSLP Liberal Government guarantees the continued and unprecedented levels of investment in Tourism we have seen in the last eight years.”

 “We have done incredible work these past eight years, in particular Gilbert Licudi, but we have more to do. We have opened new, modern tourist sites already. We have more to do and I am really excited about bringing Cirque du Soleil to Gibraltar to add a feature of the summer season that will attract more tourists to the Rock. To deliver this exciting agenda, we need the ten votes each elector has so that we form government next week,” concluded Mr Picardo.