Aaron Farrugia: Authorities have learned their lesson after igaming conference froze traffic

Authorities have learned their lessons from the gridlock traffic caused by last week’s igaming conference, the Transport Minister said, adding that Malta cannot miss out on hosting such conferences.

Addressing the media’s questions on Tuesday, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia stated that such traffic situations during conferences are inevitable. Comparing last week’s event to other international conferences, Farrugia said that the conference organisers, as well as local authorities have learned their lessons.

The event in question saw around 25,000 delegates from around the world participating in a number of events across the country, with the main event being hosted at the Malta Maritime Hub, the former Marsa shipbuilding.

The large number of attendees resulted in massive traffic jams across the country, leading to extended commuting times for a number of people living in the central and southern regions of Malta.

READ ALSO | SiGMA founder: Moving to larger venue ‘paid off beautifully’ despite traffic woes

When quizzed about which lessons the authorities have learned from the event, Farrugia said that should the conference return to Malta next year, travelling should be done during off-peak hours. For instance, Farrugia suggested that such an event could open its doors at around 10:30am. He also called for attendees to travel using coaches.

The transport minister said, “I’m sure that our country needs more of these conferences. We shouldn’t give up and let these conferences go to other cities.”

Farrugia called for closer cooperation, “to ensure that we don’t go through the same experience we’ve been through last week.”