Some four out of every five Maltese believe the build up to Valletta's stint as European capital of culture is having a positive effect on the city, new research has found. 

The research, conducted by the National Statistics Office on behalf of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, also found that 81 per cent felt work being done for Valletta 2018 was showing good progress. 71 per cent said they had attend V18 events and 80 per cent said the capital city had become a centre of activity. 

Announcing the findings at a press conference today, foundation chairman Jason Micallef said the figures showed Valletta had gone from being described as "dead" to vibrant hub of activity, cultural and otherwise. 

Mr Micallef also unveiled findings from a separate NSO study, this time on foreign visitors. The research found that nearly 60 per cent of tourists who visited Malta last year did not know about V18 before arriving but did by the end of their trip. Some three per cent, he added, had visited Malta specifically because it was to be the capital of culture. 

"This figure may be low, but it excites us and it shows that there is room for growth. To this end we are working with the Tourism Authority and other stakeholders to increase our presence abroad," Mr Micallef said.

Last October, this newspaper had published findings of the EU's capital of culture monitoring board which had said local preparations are lagging. During the press conference Mr Micallef released the board's latest report which he said had gone from the term lagging to describing progress made as impressive. The board's report congratulates the foundation on work done, particularly when it comes to the programme of events, which had been described as vague in the previous report. 

Asked what had changed in the way the foundation operated, from the last report to this one, Mr Micallef said that while work had been stepped up, nothing major had been altered. V18, he said, was about progress. 

"This is like a baby, you aren't born walking and talking, its about development," he said. 

Meanwhile, the board did highlight the financing of events as an issue requiring attention. The report says it is still not clear what is financed by V18 and what money is coming from other entities. On this, Mr Micallef said the foundation had taken the recommendations on board.