The maxim “do more with less” took on a new significance for Malta’s museums and historical sites, which received almost two million visitors in 2005 – down by 4.2 per cent from the previous year – and yet generated a Lm0.4 million financial surplus, compared with a loss of Lm0.1 million in 2004.

Figures published by the National Statistics Office yesterday reveal that a total of 1,980,123 museum admissions were registered in 2005, 86.7 per cent of which were paid admissions. The most popular attractions were art museums, followed by archaeology and history museums, and then historical monuments and sites.

Almost one fifth of admissions in 2005 concerned sites in Gozo, which nonetheless experienced a 9.5 per cent drop in admissions during this year. In Gozo, monuments and sites proved to be the most popular, closely followed by art museums.

The statistics also reveal that the number of people employed in the sector dropped by 2.8 per cent from 2004 to a total of 345 people, 284 full-time and 61 part-time. The majority of these persons classifies as “other” staff, which includes clerks, cleaners and messengers, among others. A further 132 people were working on a voluntary basis in 2005.

Just under Lm2.8 million were spent by museums and historical sites in 2005, an increase of 9.1 per cent over 2004. The largest amount of money was spent on staff, accounting for 69.5 per cent of the total overall expenditure.

In the year under review, a total of 22 new exhibits were purchased by various museums, most of which were books of cultural value. A further Lm95,558 were also spent on capital investment, a decrease of 3.3 per cent over 2004.

All in all, museums and historical sites registered a total income of just over Lm3.2 million, generating a financial surplus of nearly Lm0.4 million in the year under review. This compares favourably to 2004, where the total income was just under Lm2.5 million and a global loss of Lm0.1 million was recorded.

The number of museums and historical sites in Malta and Gozo stood at 56 in 2005, half of which were state-owned, with the rest equally divided between those owned by the church and by other private entities. Most of the museums are dedicated to specialised themes, including toys, religious artefacts, banking and aviation.