Marketing the heritage

The mission of Heritage Malta is to market the heritage consisting of numerous historical sites. Income derived from marketing will now be retained and no longer passed on to the Consolidated Fund.

Both changes are welcome. Both promise better times for our millennial heritage. Both carry great responsibilities, mainly visible amelioration and progress as well as accountability. As for the latter, automatic ticketing machines should provide correct accounting and stop abuses regarding income from admission to the sites.

As far as financial amelioration is concerned one should not expect miracles to happen overnight. There must first be several changes in the infrastructure; the actual ancillary building programme; protection and conservation action; creative thinking and comparative studies. But above all there must be the complete eradication of evil practices and weaknesses; an end to negligent or laissez-faire conduct; sacrifices to modern technology in preference to past carelessness or lack of pro-active care of our heritage.

Relying solely on revenue from admission tickets will take Heritage Malta only part of the way. Real and better income will have to come from ancillary services and improvement of the present scenario.

Roman Baths of Bath

The best example to follow that comes readily to mind is the complex known as the Roman Baths in the English city of Bath. The baths are covered by a large building in keeping with a style similar to the original monument it protects.

The entrance is through a 'Roman' portico and a large hall that also serves, among other uses, as a venue for prestigious concerts. This is a wonderful combination of history and the Arts, particularly music. This is also one of the sources of financial and cultural gain. Besides, the concerts count as excellent publicity for the Roman baths and the city of Bath which is a museum in itself.

In everyday use, the great hall is used as a ticket office, an exhibition hall and outlets selling souvenirs and publications connected with the baths, the concerts and the city. The admission price includes the use of an audio guide.

There are all sorts of souvenirs connected with the Roman baths, the Pump Room of Georgian times, the gardens, the Royal Crescent and the city itself. There are also for sale items of jewellery and pottery connected with the historical periods of the city. The publications include monographs, histories, calendars and guides. The common denominator of all these articles is the actual connection with the museum and the city that is named after this wonderful monument.

Marketing infrastructure

The free-standing temples of Mnajdra, Hagar Qim and Ggantija, the village of Skorba and Tarxien and Mgarr Temples should be protected from the elements. Tents are not the only precaution that could be taken.. It could be something like the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre Museum.

The plan should include amenities such as toilets, more than one for ladies and gentlemen, At the moment there are nine. For example, tourists visiting Hagar Qim and Mnajdra have to ask the manager of the privately owned restaurant to use his toilets for a fee. Besides, there should be a coffee shop and snack bar. There ought to be a reception room with an annexe for showing a professional video; the description or narrative should be available in many languages.

The young Limestone Heritage Museum has all these amenities, which are considered as requisites. There should also be as part of the complex a shop selling relative publications, photos, pictures, CDs and DVDs as well as souvenirs. These should be made in Malta and certified as such.

The archaeological sites should be free of weeds and spotlessly clean. There should not be really the need of schoolchildren and members of NGOs cleaning up the site. Weeds should be controlled. Weeds and litter are signs of tattiness and neglect. It does not speak much for care and conservation of the monuments.

The matter of ticketing should be seen to without delay; the illegal practice of allowing visitors to be admitted after paying the fee but without the issue of tickets is well known. One need not point an accusing finger at anyone since it has been known to be a rather common practice. The fact remains that there is no reconciliation between the number of visitors and the relative admission cash.

The suggested covering construction, whatever form it may take should ensure complete security. No easy access should be possible on any account and for whatever reason..

Need of awareness and education

It is suggested that pupils and students of all schools should be taken on professionally guided tours of all archaeological sites. Such tours should be part of their culture in their curriculum and should be of more than once during their school life. There should be an incentive in the form of a prize-winning essay or project competition.

This suggestion is being made as a remedy for the sadly lamentable situation of crass ignorance of our millennial heritage. This should no longer be allowed to be an idle boast. All Maltese and Gozitans should be able to answer questions put to them regarding the history and description of particular historical sites.

Creative marketing of our heritage should lean principally upon ourselves, our strength and knowledge. At the same time there should be comparative study of similar exercise carried aabroad that has achieved a high degree of effectiveness or better excellence. Marketing tools should form a strong reliable source of strategy. Short adverts should be filmed with the collaboration of the Malta Film Commission for exhibition on foreign TV stations.

In short, there should be training in the school of experience of past masters in marketing of heritage.