ERDF 151: Renewed Visitor Venues (REVIVE)

The project involved the restoration, conservation, conversion and upgrading of two heritage sites into two accessible, heritage visitor attractions, which cover the main aspects of Malta’s history; the British Victorian Period and Grand Harbour; and the Second World War and the Homefront in the Three Cities.

RE.VI.VE will deliver two state-of-the-art cultural tourism attractions that will significantly contribute towards the upgrading and attractiveness of the national tourism product. The project will support better understanding and preservation of the cultural heritage of the Maltese Islands.This is in line with government’s decision to entrust NGOs with the conservation and management of Malta’s heritage sites, as well as to assist in the diversification of the tourism product and promotion of local culture by creating new and vibrant product offers in order to disperse the current destination fatigue.

The project will result in the following two high-quality tangible tourism cultural products:1. A state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the Saluting Battery, which will also be connected to the counterguard and will offer modern forms of interpretation including a wireless guided system and an audiovisual presentation. Once the replica cannons are in place an additional firing of the guns combined with a military tattoo will also be added to the repertoire2. A greatly enhanced Malta at War Museum with added floor space for the improved presentation and interpretation of the Homefront experience during WWII.Tourism contributes significantly to Malta’s economic growth, employment creation and foreign exchange earnings. This sector is acknowledged as Malta’s foremost economic activity, generating as much as circa 24.3 per cent of GDP and contributing to an estimate of 29 per cent of full-time employment, amounting to a total of 40,050 direct, indirect and induced full-time and part-time jobs. Malta has 56 museums and historical sites, which are open to the public. In 2005, NSO reported that the number of visitors to museums and historical sites declined by 4.2 per cent over the previous year. At the end of the project the following results will be achieved:a) It is estimated that an incremental increase of approximately 16,000 tourists will visit the upgraded cultural sites in the first year and will keep increasing by an additional 3% for the next ten years with no forecasted growth thereafter as a direct result of the RE.VI.VE EU-funded project.b) An increase in 3.57 per cent in the accessibility of cultural sites (based on the figures that 56 museums are currently open to the public)c) The realization of a communication and awareness campaign to inform beneficiaries on the history and cultural background of the sites

The project purpose is defined as the protection, conservation and management of two specific cultural heritage sites, by means of investing in high-quality facilities for the sustainable development, presentation and interpretation of and changing their use into cultural tourism attractions.As a result the project aims to achieve:• Proper conservation of the actual physical sites• Upgraded sustainable visitor attractions• Accessibility to all sites• Better understanding of the sites’ cultural and historical relevance and their context• Very positive contribution towards Malta’s cultural tourism product offer