New museum charges will threaten jobs

I am writing with reference to the new entrance fees for museums run by Heritage Malta. The Malta Union of Tourist Guides would like to express its dismay at this sudden increase that will definitely have a negative impact on tours and jobs for licensed tourist guides. The increase will sharply raise the prices of tours and fewer visitors will purchase tour tickets thus registering a further decline in jobs for tourist guides. In a year where we are all struggling because of the economic crisis, this is a further big blow.

The entrance fees for Heritage Malta sites have become among the most expensive in Europe. We have compiled a list of entrance fees for a few major sites in European countries:

Stonehenge, UK. Adult entrance fee: £6.60. Visiting hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Louvre Museum, France. Adult entrance fee: €9. Visiting hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, every Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Schonbrunn Palace, Austria. Adult entrance fee: €9.50 for the Imperial Tour visiting 22 state rooms. Visiting hours from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Uffizi, Italy. Adult entrance fee: €9.45. Visiting hours 8.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Berlin Museuminsel, Germany, Unesco World Heritage Site. Adult entrance fee: €8 for five museums and exhibitions. Visiting hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Acropolis, Greece. Adult entrance fee: €12 for Acropolis site and museum, Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysos, Kerameikos, Olympieion, Roman Agora. Visiting hours from 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Heritage Malta sites offer limited opening hours when compared to the sites mentioned above. The fee should be proportional to what is being offered. Moreover, it does not work towards making our history and culture accessible to all. We have on other occasions written about improving the visitors' site experience but little if anything has been done.

Increasing entrance fees because of "capital projects and operational costs" does not make heritage sites sustainable. Sustainable development "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

This decision further compromises jobs for tourist guides and tourism.