Rise in entrance fees to heritage sites

Visiting a museum, a Neolithic temple and other historic sites will cost more as from next month as entry fees have gone up, in some cases more than double. The new fees were published in a legal notice.

A trip to the Hypogeum in Paola will cost double for those over-18 as the fee rose from just under €10 to €20. The price tripled for the over-60s who will have to pay €15 instead of the previous €4.65.

While some museum charges went up slightly - such as the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa that only increased the entrance fee by a few cents - in the case of other sites the increase is of several euros.

The price of an entrance ticket to the Roman Domus, in Rabat, increased by a few cents, from €5.82 to €6 for over-18s. However, those over 60 will have to fork out €4.50, nearly double what they used to pay (€2.91).

In some European countries, such as the UK, entrance into some museums is free of charge and this is done to encourage people to visit.

Could the hike in prices turn people away from their cultural heritage?

Heritage Malta chief executive Lucio Mulè Stagno does not think so. He said there were several occasions throughout the year when heritage sites were open for free or at slashed prices. And, apart from this, culture-lovers had the option of buying an annual membership card. The card - that costs €35 for an adult and €70 for a family - allowed free access to all Heritage Malta sites, except for the Hypogeum, which could be accessed for half the price.

"We understand that, ideally, access to such sites would be free. But the reality is we need revenue to run our museums," he said.

He added that the tickets, for such unique sites had been underpriced for a long time but he did not believe the new fees were too expensive.

Mr Mulè Stagno said tourists had an option to buy a two-week block ticket for about €30 to access all sites.

Nevertheless, the announcement was met with criticism by the Labour Party, which said the rise confirmed the government's detachment from the realities of the global tourism industry. Spokes-man Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said the fees would only serve to further raise holiday prices.

The fees come into effect on Monday for individual visitors but will start applying to tour operators from next May.