On the 25th anniversary of the start of the building of the Popeye film set Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech opened the Sweet Factory. Last November work began for one of the houses of the old set to be converted into the factory, following the success of Santa’s Toytown, set up in another of the buildings in 2002.

In 2002, a construction team transformed part of the set into the Toytown and now, this same team has created the Sweet Factory. Dr Zammit Dimech said this is all part of the government’s initiative to diversify Malta’s tourist attractions.

The minister said that the film industry is proving to be a strong player among Malta’s tourist attractions. It not only brings over important people in film production industry, but movies filmed here also help promote the island.

Several magazines have described Malta as the “Hollywood of the Mediterranean” since it is the centre of film production in the area, said Dr Zammit Dimech. Eighty feature films were shot in Malta, along with 35 adverts, 24 television film and a number of music videos and documentaries were filmed on the island. The minister said that this gives Malta a good reputation and the Malta Tourism Authority even went as far as creating the Malta Movie Map, that can be viewed on www.visitmalta.com.

Popeye Village is an attraction that sprung from this film industry and Dr Zammit Dimech reminded those present that a 200-foot-long breakwater was built along with a road leading to the area, in 1979, when the film was shot.

Tree trunks from Holland and wood from Canada were imported for the 20 structures that make up the village to be built by the 165 workers. Eight tonnes of nails and 2,000 gallons of paint were used to bring the film set to life.

The minister explained that after the film was shot, Popeye Village was not destroyed but turned into an attraction that thousands of Maltese people and tourists visit every year.

As tourism minister, Dr Zammit Dimech said that he not only supports projects like this but also encourages their development. “These are the types of projects that will give tourists an experience unlike any they can have in other countries,” he said.