Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo and the Archdiocese of Malta on Monday launched the Church Trails of Malta programme.
Administrative Secretary of the Archdiocese Michael Pace Ross spoke about the project’s aims to restore and conserve Malta’s religious assets and how it would play a role in enhancing Malta’s tourism product. Vicar General Joseph Galea-Curmi echoed these sentiments and spoke about the importance of preserving Malta’s rich cultural heritage and how this project forms part of that process.
Pace Ross said that these heritage trails were established after a public call and thanked PBS for their contribution. He said that other projects are in the works and thanked the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector for their assistance throughout the process.
EMCS Advisory Director Alison Mizzi said that the project, consisting of three distinct trails labelled as the Northern, Central, and Southern trails respectively, will reach 26 localities through 34 sites. She said that the total cost of the project is €4 million and was funded in cooperation with the European Regional Development Fund.
Mizzi said that the purpose of this heritage trail project is to add a more substantial tourism value to the restored and valorised locations and artefacts. She focused on the branding aspect of the project and how significant thought has been put into the marketing behind the programme including the website’s explanatory value to whoever may be interested in the project.
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett began by saying that there is an issue in Malta of a lack of focus on the spiritual aspect of things. He said that this project is something he believes will begin addressing this matter and putting an emphasis on spirituality across Maltese localities.
Bonett said that the project has three main aims. One of them, he began, is to show respect to our forefathers. He continued that another is to preserve our heritage for future generations to appreciate. He added that the third project is to continue promoting the Maltese tourism product in an effective manner.
He said that tourists who come to Malta will be able to experience what Malta has to offer religiously through a smooth and enjoyable process. The Parliamentary Secretary said that through projects such as this, we will be able to show our children what Malta offers and encourage them to preserve it in turn for further generations.
Bonett said that the goal is to establish employment through these projects and ensure that relevant services are readily available every day to entice tourists.
Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo said that up until recently, he believes the discussion in Malta has been in the line of emphasising the quantity of tourists but that the thinking has now shifted to the quality of tourists that could be attracted to the Maltese islands. “I think that up until recently the discussion in Malta has been; ‘How many tourists can we bring in?’ Now, especially after the pandemic, it has become about what sort of tourists we want to bring in.”
He said that the Government wanted to build up better after the pandemic and therefore invested in various elements to contribute to that goal. He said that this Church Trails project falls under this philosophy held by the Ministry for Tourism. He mentioned the large number of churches on the Maltese islands, around 365, and said that this project has included localities which are not typically associated with tourism in order to see how the “good generated by tourism” will impact such localities.
The tourism minister said that through projects such as this, tourists will be able to see what other localities which typically aren’t considered tourism destinations have to offer. He said that he believes it is good to continue expanding upon this project in order to continue cultivating more success and continue focusing on bringing in more tourists of quality and emphasising sustainable tourism.