€14 million Ta’ Qali crafts village revamp launched

A revamp of the Ta’ Qali crafts village was launched earlier today by Economy Minister Chris Cardona.

“This has been a project that had been promised in many elections, going back to 1992,” Cardona said earlier today.

The €14 million project is funded by the European Union (€10 million) and operators of the project itself (€4 million).

“This is an ambitious project, but I am positive that it will breathe new life into Ta’ Qali”, Economy Minister Chris Cardona said.

Ensuring that the investment will be fruitful will be the greatest challenge facing the restoration, Cardona continued.

It was also announced that operators have now been given legal rights over shops in Ta’ Qali, granting them use of the land for a 65-year period under emphyteutical concession.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of 2018.

New parking areas, a revamp and widening of public spaces and a new zone for children to learn artisanal crafts are part of the revamp envisioned for the Ta’ Qali Crafts village.

“This project will not only regenerate the area but will transform the village into a centre of excellence for Maltese artisanal crafts,” Cardona said.

Malta Enterprise has also created schemes to incentivise inheriting businesses from one generation to the next, Cardona continued.

“Family-owned businesses are at the heart of the government,” Cardona said. 

Cardona also stated that more incentives for family-owned businesses would be included in the upcoming budget.

“We always spoke about the importance of stability for businesses,” he said.

The newly revamped village can attract upwards to two million tourists, chairman of Malta Industrial Parks Tony Zahra said.

“The whole object of the exercise is to turn the place into the primary destination for artisanal crafts,” Zahra said.