Management of cultural events in Malta and their impact on the tourism industry

Abstract

Cultural tourism attracts about 42% of tourists to the Maltese Islands each year; and the importance of providing excellent quality events in this market is highlighted in the Tourism Policy 2012-2016. This long essay studies the management of cultural events and their impact on the tourism industry. An analysis was thus carried out about the management of a select number of cultural events, giving special emphasis on festivals. The festivals studied were strategically chosen to represent the range of festivals which take place in Malta. International, national and local festivals were chosen in order to be able to gain a thorough in-sight on the festivals’ management alongside, with other three face to face interviews with the MTA, and MCCA. An observation study of festivals is also carried so that the different perspectives: that of the organisers’, the visitors’ and the tourists’ perspectives are better understood. The results gained are then compared and assessed in order to clearly indicate the differences of management tools the festivals’ organisations adopt. By means of the assessed results, the study suggests that the majority of the organisations need a dedicated team which is specialised in events and knowledge of cultural tourism. The analysis also indicates that more financial support is needed for the organisations to be able to plan better their festival. The results suggest that to reach a better position in cultural tourism, organisations should invest more in having eligible management standards to satisfy the visitors and attract more tourists. Furthermore, the study also establishes that cultural festivals throughout the winter period (low tourism season) seem to attract more attention from the MTA and in result have event organisers can benefit from a better marketing campaign.