The façades of three historic landmarks - the President's Palace, the Inquisitor's Palace and Greek Gate in Mdina - are to be restored in a joint initiative by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Restoration Unit of the Works Division.

About 60,000 visitors tour the Inquisitor's Palace every year, which makes it one of the most important visitor sites in Vittoriosa. The project will greatly improve the streetscape, and act as a further boost to the revitalisation of Cottonera, MTA said.

Both the President's Palace in Valletta and Greek Gate in Mdina are important monuments and the MTA has insisted on their being given priority.

"The restructuring of the tourism industry urgently calls for more investment in our heritage. The Malta Tourism Authority actively contributes and has worked and set up alliances with the relevant departments and NGOs to implement heritage-related projects," director of the MTA's Product Planning and Development Directorate Mario Attard said.

This is not the first time the MTA and the Works Division's Restoration Unit have teamed up on heritage projects. Some months ago, restoration works were also carried out on the Eagle Fountain in San Anton Gardens and the Alexander Ball Monument at Lower Barrakka Gardens.