Culture for tourism

The idea of promoting Malta as a tourist destination because of the attraction of sea, sun and sand is déjà-vu. This is because other countries have better value-for-money projects to offer tourists. What we can gain over our competitors is our cultural heritage. By which is meant archaeological and architectural heritage.

Considering Valletta alone, the capital city is a museum in itself. The bastions and fortifications, coupled with its palaces and churches, make it a city of wonders for its size and its inestimable worth as a city of culture. This besides the well-worn phrase of "a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen".

A niche market that is being exploited at present is that of cultural tourism. Tourists interested in archaeology come to Malta to visit Ggantija, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien Temples, the Hypogeum and the Museum of Archaeology. The first three are the oldest free-standing monuments in the world, older than the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge of Britain.

It is submitted though that not enough exposure is made of the value of Malta's heritage and cultural value in the touristic world. These heritage sites suffer from insufficient information and interesting data being made available to prospective visitors. The guided tour is rather poor in substance and imagination in presentation.

It is the duty of Heritage Malta not only to preserve and conserve all our heritage sites. It must make sure that the visitor is satisfied with the audio-visual presentation of all our archaeological and architectural sites.

Promotion of Malta to tourists should be on the lines of: "Malta is not just a destination. Malta is an experience." The experience must be such as to endure in the memory for a long time. In fact, never to be forgotten. Experience must be felt deeply and intellectually. This cannot be achieved by simply ' watching' a site, a statue or a monument. A visit is complete by an explanation by a personal or auto guide, preferably an audio-visual experience.

Guides must use their imagination not in 'inventing facts and figures' but in their presentation of the factual. In other words they must avoid the monotonous recitation of facts learnt by wrote in the "let's get this over fast" fashion. Such a guide would be ill-treating the client. The presentation has to be interesting enough to be retained in one's memory for long. This is only possible if the narration is gripping in the sense that the guide must show relish in the description

Amenities on site

Any visitor spending more than an hour or so in looking at a site and listening to a description would welcome a drink and perhaps something to nibble to ease the parched and dry mouth, which tends to add a negative side the experience. This implies that archaeological sites must have such services as a rest room with all that this entails, a cafeteria, a souvenir shop and a post box. These services are what makes the visitor feel that his visit was welcomed and remarkable. There would be no new cause for complaints.

Apart from the description of the monument and relevant parts of the site, one must learn what were the probable if not the certain use of certain parts or objects on site. A mere look is simply not enough. It is as if one is looking at an inanimate object without knowing anything about it.

When one mentions cultural tourism one is quite obviously referring to the general and individual aspects of our culture. Some components are the Mediterranean Festival of Food and Culture in Gozo, a Maltese Cuisine Treat, a village festa, a greasy pole of a seaside feast. None of these events can stand exclusively on their own. This is the beauty and attraction of Maltese culture

Village feast

It does not make much sense to visit a feast in a village without watching and listening to one of the band marches. The fireworks both lit on the ground as well as 'exploded' in colourful pattern in the sky are integral parts of the annual village festa.

The religious manifestation of the village festa is the colourful procession of the village patron saint. Inside the church is celebrated the High Mass with orchestra and choir and the panegyric on the patron saint. All the week previous to the feast the church walls are decorated with fine damask hangings. The fine elaborate crystal chandeliers are lit and they make a very lovely sight.

Tourists flock to hear the music and choir singing parts of the High Mass with the climax reached with the antiphon of the patron saint, which had been composed for the occasion.