Visits to museums and historical sites in Malta and Gozo increased by six percent last year to total 2,055,357, the NSO said today.
Art museums had the highest share of admissions with 37 per cent, followed by archaeology and history museums.
During 2007, the total number of employees in this sector increased from 445 to 455 persons - 358 full-time and 97 part-time. A further 189 persons were working on a voluntary basis.
A total of 222 new exhibits were purchased by museums and historical sites during 2007 - a decrease of 12 per cent on the previous year.
During the year under review, €10.8 million were spent by museums and historical sites, an increase of 10 per cent over 2006. 62 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure fell under staff costs.
The total income of museums in 2007 decreased by 1.6 per cent over 2006.