Sites under Heritage Malta's care

With reference to Ms Glorianne Mizzi's letter (The Sunday Times, May 15), readers may have been misled into thinking that Heritage Malta is doing very little to improve the various sites under its care. This is grossly unfair and the comments made by Ms Mizzi definitely warrant a reply.

Heritage Malta manages the State Rooms and the Palace Armoury, which are two of the over 30 museums and sites under its responsibility. Heritage Malta had applied for a MEPA permit to construct adequate sanitary facilities at the Palace Armoury. Given the delicate nature of the building, the permit took considerable time to be processed and Heritage Malta only received the green light at the beginning of this year. A tender will soon be published to this effect. Additionally, Heritage Malta is currently engaged in a project to improve the presentation and interpretation of the collection at the Palace Armoury. An audio- guide system will be introduced by August.

While Heritage Malta manages the Palace Armoury and the Palace State Rooms, it is worth pointing out that the building serves as the administrative offices of the President of the Republic and Parliament is also housed within the Palace. To this effect, security issues are paramount and visitors cannot be allowed unlimited access to all parts of the Palace, including a separate staircase leading up to the State Rooms. Heritage Malta is in fact responsible for the collections housed within the Palace, and not the actual site.

At present Heritage Malta is involved in discussions on how to improve accessibility to this site but the ultimate decisions rest with the Office of the President.

With respect to St Paul's Catacombs in Rabat, a custodian is in fact present and to date Heritage Malta has received no formal complaint of any unruly behaviour by visitors. Recently, multi-lingual audio-guides have been introduced at the catacombs and feedback from visitors has been very positive. In addition, the reception area has also been enhanced. Interpretation panels and a display showcase are also to be introduced shortly.

Unfortunately, the site itself does have an uneven surface but this is an inherent characteristic of the site. Lighting has been somewhat improved but a more elaborate project requiring substantial funding will be undertaken in the coming years.

Heritage Malta is seeking ways and means of improving the terrain without resorting to any intrusive methods that will mar the pristine characteristics of the terrain.

Visitors to Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples have to buy tickets from the ticketing office situated at the entrance of Hagar Qim Temples. Heritage Malta is currently introducing electronic turnstiles at its sites with the first fully functioning unit successfully introduced at the Domus Romana.

Interpretation panels have been introduced at Hagar Qim in the past weeks and positive comments from local and foreign visitors have been forthcoming. Unfortunately, at present, access through the back gate is impossible due to the shortage of staff and for security reasons.

The Hagar Qim/Mnajdra Temples will be upgraded with a state-of-the-art visitor centre together with the erection of two massive dome-shaped structures which will protect the megaliths from weathering. This is an ambitious project which Heritage Malta is undertaking and which is part-financed by the EU. The complete works are scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2008. In the meantime, as a stop-gap solution, over the coming months a temporary visitor unit will be erected to improve facilities at the site. The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is supporting Heritage Malta in this latter initiative.

Heritage Malta is committed to upgrading its sites, improving accessibility and ensuring that there is adequate dissemination of information in various languages. We believe that a visit to a museum and site should be an enhanced experience. The recent inauguration of the Domus Romana is proof of this claim. The site is fully accessible to people with special needs and is complemented by a museum shop, the first of a series of shops which will open in various Heritage Malta sites. Furthermore, gallery sheets in various languages are available to supplement the ample information displayed on the interpretation panels.

There is still a long way to go but Heritage Malta has carried out other minor works to improve the sites under its management such as at Ghar Dalam and the Inquisitor's Palace. The agency has a clear vision and strategy of what it wants to achieve but great care has to be taken in preserving the original habitat of the site or museum in question as these are unique environments, some of which are thousands of years old.

The Hypogeum is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its micro-climate is strictly monitored to ensure that the site is preserved for future generations. A total of seven tours are held daily and a maximum of ten individuals are allowed access in each tour. Heritage Malta provides a guided tour in English. Plans are currently under way to introduce multi-lingual audio-guides at the Hypogeum, similar to the ones introduced at St Paul's Catacombs. We have also facilitated booking to the Hypogeum by introducing an online facility accessible through Heritage Malta's Webpage (www.heritagemalta.org)

The National Museum of Archaeology is also undergoing massive refurbishment including, within this year, the installation of an elevator which will give visitors access to the upper floors which are being refurbished and will be opened to the public showing a wider collection from Malta's rich archaeological legacy.

The national agency is committed to improving its various sites in Malta and Gozo and it is definitely not a case of Heritage Malta turning a blind eye to constructive feedback coming from its various stakeholders. We believe that we are key players in the tourism industry and we have a unique product on offer. To this effect we strive to improve it with very limited resources.

Finally, I trust that Ms Mizzi is aware that Heritage Malta has, over the last couple of weeks, formally confirmed to MTA and licensed tourist guides that they are able to visit any Heritage Malta site (except the Hypogeum) for free to familiarise themselves with the collections on display and to plan their guided tours accordingly. This is subject to guides presenting their valid identification tag at the ticketing desk.

We look forward to go on working closely with Malta Union of Tourist Guides for the improvement of the Malta product for visitors.