Valletta is to be branded as a tourist destination in its own right, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi announced on Thursday, saying that research showed that the brand was even more powerful than Malta’s.

“Our research has shown that Valletta is very well recognised. As a separate brand it will complement that of Malta and Gozo,” he said.

The minister also said that the Malta Tourism Authority was currently drafting its vision for 2025 and beyond.

Dr Mizzi was speaking at the unveiling of a €2,000-a-night suite at Iniala’s new hotel on St Barbara Bastion in Valletta.

He also revealed that a preliminary agreement has been signed with the UK-based architectural firm led by Konrad Xuereb for initial studies into a pedestrian and cyclist bridge between Tigné Point in Sliema and the gunpost area in Valletta.

He told Times of Malta that the agreement covered designs, an estimation of the costs and the technical feasibility – as well as whether there would be any EU funding available to tap into.

Dr Xuereb’s proposal stemmed from his experience heading a bridge engineering team responsible for the design of pedestrian bridges overseas as part of community regeneration projects.

He first proposed the idea in 2017 and his article had gone unexpectedly viral, as Facebook pundits debated the merits and pitfalls of the project.

The proposal also caught the imagination of those who recalled a 1960s proposal for a cable car between Sliema and Valletta.

“Connectivity is key to regeneration, and this is why I believe that such a pedestrian bridge could contribute to improving the urban quality in lower Valletta,” Dr Xuereb had explained to Times of Malta two years ago.