Classical music and opera as a new target segment for Malta's tourism industry

Abstract

This research deals with the art of classical music and the tourism industry of the Maltese Islands. The study gives feedback to both the music industry and the cultural tourism segment in Malta by understanding what potential classical-music events and festivals have for the tourism industry of the Maltese Islands to exploit. The research methodology adopted in this dissertation is through a qualitative method. A group of Maltese professionals and people who are dealing with this market as their profession were interviewed. The findings from this research provide evidence that Malta has existing resources and untapped potential that can offer classical music as a tourism product. On the other hand, for this niche market to flourish, a lot of improvement needs to be done in resources such as technological advancements, better promotion and marketing, specialised tour operators and professionalism in artistic procedures. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that if Malta understands its limitation and work its available resources effectively, its tourism industry would be more dynamic by expanding its image as a 'sun and sea' destination to include an image as a cultural destination. This study recommends that Malta to makes a plan requiring the social, financial and legal authorities to collaborate and plan a prospective path for this niche market to grow.