Hotel guests to be asked for heritage donations

Heritage Malta and HSBC Cares for Malta's Heritage Fund yesterday launched a hotel-heritage sponsorship scheme, whereby guests staying at selected hotels would be invited to contribute towards the upkeep of Heritage Malta museums and sites when settling their bills.

Speaking to a number of leading names in the hotel and tourism industry at the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, HSBC Bank Malta CEO Shaun Wallis said the voluntary contribution would go into an HSBC bank account, jointly operated by Heritage Malta and the hotel concerned.

The bank also took the opportunity to donate Lm10,000 to the restoration of the museum, an important historical building, areas of which were in need of rehabilitation.

The bank has already contributed to its improvement, Mr Wallis said, adding that yesterday's donation was still not enough.

He said HSBC also intended to raise funds for the museum from tourists and clients at all its branches.

Under the scheme, Malta's leading hotels and their guests would be able to sponsor the upkeep and restoration of a particular museum, or site, explained Heritage Malta CEO Antoinette Caruana.

Heritage Malta would be sending half-yearly statements of account to the hotel concerned, together with an update and photographs of the works in progress.

The hotels would be invited to discuss the museum or site of their choice with Heritage Malta, which has earmarked as priorities the Palace Armoury, Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples, the National Museum of Archaeology, the Inquisitor's Palace, the Malta Maritime Museum and the Gozo Citadel Museums.

Ms Caruana pointed out that knowledge of Malta's heritage was not that widespread overseas and even some Maltese failed to pay due homage.

"We have a long way to go," she said, despite the fact that Heritage Malta was this year involved in 216 activities (practically one every two days) in 20 sites, and in seven countries. It has exceeded its income target for 2005 of Lm1 million, raised through admissions.

The role of Heritage Malta was both protection and accessibility of the sites - between which there was a fine line. Ms Caruana said.

The permanent secretary in the Tourism and Culture Ministry, Peter Portelli, speaking on behalf of the Tourism Minister, thanked HSBC for the setting up of the fund, saying that the government was doing its utmost to preserve Malta's heritage but that it could not possibly go down this road alone and needed the intervention and support of NGOs and the private sector.

The bank set up its HSBC Cares For Malta's Heritage Fund in June, with an initial capital of Lm50,000, managed by a board of directors made up of experts in the field of Maltese heritage.

Over the years, it has poured as much as Lm290,000 into the HSBC Cares For Children Fund, the first to be set up, said HSBC director and head of group legal, Philip Farrugia Randon.