Presenting the past : cultural tour-guides and the sustaining of European identity in Malta

Abstract

The research on which this chapter is based formed part of an overall ethnographic project on Maltese national identity involving nearly two years' fieldwork in Malta (1992-94). It examines the role of Maltese tourguides in creating and perpetuating images of Malta which have helped to sustain tourist development. In the first year of fieldwork, over a million tourists visited Malta - more than twice the Maltese population. Tourism is thus central to Maltese life, and tour-guides were chosen because of their pivotal role in the tourist process. According to Lockhart and Ashton, as many as 45 per cent of visitors have their exploration patterns in Malta controlled through organized excursions (1991: 29). This means that for many tourists to Malta, their experiences of Maltese history or culture are mediated by guides. The research followed a group of ten trainee guides at the government Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) throughout their one-year training. Lectures and lessons were attended, as were 15 training visits to various culturalhistorical sites. In addition, a number of interviews were arranged with practising guides to assess both trained and trainee guides' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities. In particular, research focused on the way in which guides presented their material to the tourist' audience' and what this implied about the ways in which national history and culture were perceived.