What attracted cultural visitors to Malta in the first half of the twentieth century? : as perceived by cultural professionals

Abstract

This dissertation aims to carry out a historic evaluation of Malta’s cultural visitors by focusing on the first half of the twentieth century, through the importance given to Malta’s cultural sites. Hence, this study sets out to investigate and evaluate the cultural tourists’ motivations for traveling to Malta under British colonial rule between 1900 and 1964. This investigation is carried out through the perspective of cultural professionals who work in the cultural field and who were willing to share their knowledge and expertise on this subject. Six semi-structured interviews with these cultural experts were conducted by adopting the qualitative approach. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and thematic analysis was carried out to discuss and analyze the results. The findings imply that reasons for traveling to Malta included economic and political factors. This research suggests that cultural tourists mainly visited Malta for its archaeological heritage and mainly consisted of young noblemen. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the trickle of tourists that reached Malta did not travel primarily for a cultural experience, but rather to work and study. Finally, the findings interestingly reveal that cultural tourists of the early 1900s visited cultural sites which are currently still high in visiting tourist agenda. As a result, this historic evaluation suggests that cultural attractions are truly important for Malta’s economy and must be protected at all cost. Thus, to conclude, the aims and objectives were largely achieved.