Heritage trust Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna will be forced to close off some of its public attractions or fire its staff, unless it receives financial support to make amends for the drop in visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Established in 1987, the foundation administers some of the island’s biggest historic attractions such as Fort Rinella and the Armstrong 100-ton gun, the Saluting Battery at the Upper Barrakka, the Malta at War Museum, Lascaris War Rooms and the War Headquarters Tunnels in Valletta.
FWA chairman Mario Farrugia said the closure of the sites and museums in March dealt a blow to its main stream of revenue. Though restrictions were removed earlier this month, he said that admittances were still very low at around six per cent of the pre-pandemic level.
“The bulk of our visitors are tourists and consequently it will be months before we can aspire to the levels reached before the pandemic,” he said.
Faced with this dire situation, on July 16 the foundation launched a crowdfunding campaign through its website and Facebook page.
The Malta Heritage Fund, as it is called, aims to raise enough money to sustain the foundation’s daily expenditure of around €1,900 to keep its museums and sites in good order and to the highest standards.
By the time of writing, a modest sum of €585 was collected through this campaign and a further €8,650 through ‘offline’ means.
However, Farrugia said public donations alone would probably not be enough to make ends meet. He pointed out that the foundation was holding talks with the Culture Ministry to explore what kind of support could be offered by the State over and above the COVID-19 wage supplement.
He warned that if the situation would not improve, they would have to start limiting opening hours of some attractions as from the start of next month.
Farrugia added that if the long-term prospects do not improve, they would even have to consider laying off some of their employees who number around 35.
Questions sent to the ministry on whether it was considering extending further financial support to FWA were not answered by the time of writing.
Donations can be made through the foundation’s website or crowdfunding page.