Museum attendance down, income up

Visits to museums and historical sites went down by 12 per cent in 2009, to 1.9 million, when compared to the previous year, according to official statistics.

There were 66 active museums and historical sites over the islands, last year, 47 per cent of which were state-owned, the rest being owned either by the Church or the private sector.

Even though the number of paid visits to museums and sites slipped, there was an increase in revenue, with the sites gleaning more off admission fees and €1 million more from grants and subsidies.

There were also more voluntary workers at the sites, totalling 159, while the number of full-time employees fell by five per cent. Most of the staff in museums is composed of clerks, cleaners, maintenance and security personnel. The majority of voluntary workers are museum guides.

More exhibitions were organised by local councils than the year before, with 22 events, while there were fewer public activities organised by Heritage Malta.

The national agency had focused more on quality events but was not happy with the level of attendance, Heritage Malta chairman Joseph Said had commented during the annual forum on cultural heritage held last week.