Through the European Union funding mechanism called the European Regional and Development Fund, The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux, Mdina has improved its already well-respected product in order to attract repeat tourism to its boutique hotel, which is also part of the Relais & Chateaux association, an exclusive collection of 500 of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. Among other things, these EU funds financed a marketing campaign, website translation and restoration works.
Through the Grant Scheme for Sustainable Tourism Projects by Enterprises, the hotel funded various aspects of its project, most notably in its restoration of elements of Malta’s historical patrimony. The hotel itself is a 17th century palace which has been meticulously yet sensitively restored in order to recapture its former glory. The hotel consists of 17 luxury rooms and suites, and features opulent decorations, antique furniture and historic paintings.
The restoration work and the marketing campaign served to highlight the cultural heritage and significance of the hotel and the Maltese islands. In addition, the website translation allowed the hotel to cater for new emerging markets namely France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan. This has supplemented the British market which is still Malta’s mainstay in the tourism sector.
The first activity of the proposed project, which began in October 2009, included the restoration of several artefacts housed within The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux, and which are currently displayed in the public spaces and suites. The historical artefacts restored included 10 paintings and ten items of furniture. Maximum care was taken in order to ensure that all work was carried out respecting the original characteristics of the building, thereby retaining and enhancing its traditional identity and charm. This project was conceived with Malta’s tourism product in mind. As envisaged, it has successfully led to substantial positive spill-over effects, thereby benefitting other tourism establishments in the locality and the tourism industry more generally. Returning customers are also more likely to keep coming back to The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux thus creating goodwill both for the hotel and Malta.
It is important to note that the benefits of this EU-funded project have accrued all year round, not just during the summer months, since this form of cultural tourism is not affected by seasonal factors. This has lead to a steady flow of tourists throughout the year. There are various EU funding mechanisms available to Maltese establishments and The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux hopes to benefit from more of these in future.
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