FAA launches Cultural Heritage website

Flimkien ghall-Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) coordinator Astrid Vella said that the website had been launched to promote Malta as a unique hub of culture and history.

“The site has articles on three main subjects; history, art and architecture throughout the ages,” Vella said addressing journalists at the launch at the Malta Chamber of Commerce earlier today.

Vella said that the articles on the website were written by various researchers working for the NGO, but that the organisation also had assistance from University of Malta lecturers, to provide in-depth and long articles on the various subjects. She added that the website had also gained the support of other tourist-aimed websites including Visit Malta and the Malta International Airport website.

She explained that the website also aimed at fulfilling the government’s tourism policies of diversification of tourism, by promoting cultural tourism. Vella said that cultural tourists normally visited the island during winter, autumn and spring, which were considered the off-peak seasons for tourism locally.

“Furthermore, we have made images of places like Kalkara and Southern cities, the backdrop of the website rather than the usual popular tourist spots, to encourage tourists to visit areas like the three cities and villages like Safi, Kirkop, Zurrieq and Zejtun among others.”

Vella explained that this was aimed at diversifying and spreading out where tourists visited. She explained that the website would also have an interactive map for tourists to use and that there would also be suggested routes according to various themes like medieval chapels among others.

She also added that the site would display a number of old photos of various locations around the country and that although the website was not financially subsidized, it aimed to promote many places like heritage homes through marketing. Such heritage homes needed to be promoted, she said as many people were not aware of them. She added that commercial entities within old buildings could also be promoted, and that they gave the message that old buildings did not necessarily need to be demolished.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that FAA’s initiative was very in line with the government’s efforts in promoting off-season tourism.

“One of Malta’s best selling aspects in off-peak seasons is culture, so the government appreciates the effort that this website is making to promote this aspect,” he said.

He added that the website also responded to the ever growing market of independent travel.

“People are turning to travel agents ever less frequently, and they are opting for exploring possibilities themselves more than ever,” he explained adding that it was important for organizations to keep resources on the digital platform as up to date as possible.

Zammit Lewis added that he hoped that entities would also be able to work closer to each other in planning cultural events, as many events often fell on the same days.

“The interest in our local heritage can be seen in the public’s interest in such events,” Vella said.

She also explained that a recent art exhibition by contemporary artist Raymond Dominic Agius held by the NGO in honour of the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege had been very well attended and that the works, on show at the Malta Chamber of Commerce, had been sold out within days.

She also added that FAA researcher Fiona Vella, who had also been integral in the development of the website, had carried out much of the research for the exhibition and the book inspired by the exhibition entitled The Great Siege of Malta and published by the NGO.

Speaking to journalists before the press conference, Agius said that the watercolour and pencil works had been created in six months, after Vella and the artist’s wife Christine Dvonch had chosen some 20 scenes take from Dr. Stephen C. Spiteri’s book entitled The Great Siege: Knights vs Turks, The Anatomy of a Hospitaller Victory.