Heritage Malta files lawsuit against ticketing company

The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and limits admissions to 80 per day in order to prevent irreparable damage to such a sensitive and unique site.

"Heritage Malta cannot and will not go beyond this limit by granting access to visitors who may have bought unauthorised tickets issued by Maltaticket.com Ltd," a spokesperson for the national heritage authority said.

In 2011 Maltaticket.com and its director David Pollina were informed by Heritage Malta that the agreement for ticketing services at its museums would not be renewed.

In November 2011 Heritage Malta informed Maltaticket.com Ltd that online bookings in respect of visits to the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum for 2012 were not to be accepted.

Notwithstanding the notice, Maltaticket.com kept selling tickets for visits to the Hypogeum for the year 2012 and this in spite of specific instructions to the contrary. It was only after the filing in court of a warrant for a prohibitory injunction in December 2011 that Maltaticket.com confirmed under oath that it would cease selling tickets for Heritage Malta sites and museums, including The Hypogeum.

Maltaticket.com has so far denied Heritage Malta access to information relating to ticket sales and the revenues it collected. Heritage Malta holds no information on tickets purchased via Maltaticket.com and as a result cannot contact those clients who bought such tickets nor confirm the validity of tickets issued by Maltaticket.com.

Heritage Malta has tried to assist those visitors who had bought such tickets by offering visits to The Hypogeum at other hours and these without charge.

Visitors who hold tickets bought from Maltaticket.com Ltd can contact Heritage Malta Head Office on 356-22954000 or by email on [email protected] for further clarification and assistance.