Cultural tourism in Malta : market analysis and opportunities with particular reference to the locality of Dingli

Abstract

The author strongly believes that cultural tourism is the new niche market that can help Malta into diverting its market from a sun and se market to a cultural one. Although the Malta Tourism Authority was set-up specifically to strategically plan and eventually develop such market diversification, little has been done to continue to develop this niche market through the years. For this study, Dingli, a rural locality situated in the northern western part of the island where traditional agricultural methods are still practiced, has been targeted. The author chose this particular locality because she believes that similar localities have the potential to attract cultural tourists and most importantly give the authorities and the locals alike the chance to develop sustainable practices. The author wanted to focus also on the local communities' level of involvement and on long-term development in such locality. So, the author gathered information in the form of surveys and interviews to see if a locality like Dingli has the potential to develop into a cultural tourism locality and how the authorities plan to achieve this goal.