As part of the Government’s initiative to set up a number of consumer protection seminars, the first was hosted today, informing main street retailers on the issues of Internet shopping and how it affects local retailers. Craig Sacarello of the GFSB, along with Ed Mcquisten of the Chamber of Commerce, headed the seminar, which aimed to highlight the importance of devising a strategy to bring the retail sector forward in order to reduce online sales. The seminar was well attended and will make way to a further series of sessions that aim to improve Gibraltar’s consumer and retail sectors. 

Commenting on the matter, Minister for Small Businesses, Neil Costa noted that there is a wide-ranging debate across Europe and in the UK in particular, about whether the high-street model is sustainable with the introduction of Internet shopping.

He also touched upon Gibraltar’s uniquely high numbers of tourists explaining that the Government is trying to tap into markets that have not previously been tapped upon, including Russian tourists staying on the Costa del Sol. An informal waiver scheme started last year brought a few thousand Russian Tourists to Gibraltar, the Minister insisted. This year alone 2500 Russian tourists had visited Gibraltar.