Intangible Heritage and Tourism

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Intangible Heritage and Tourism
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Contents

• Intangible Heritage
• Intangible Heritage in the Mediterranean
• Intangible Heritage and Tourism in the Maltese
  Islands
• Examples
• Conclusion

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International Context

• The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of
  Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) defines
  Intangible Heritage as the practices,
  representations, expressions, knowledge, skills
  as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts
  and cultural spaces associated therewith that
  communities, groups and, in some cases,
  individuals recognize as part of their cultural
  heritage.

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Maltese Intangible Heritage

• The Maltese Islands are considered to be a
  cultural and historical gem. Over the centuries
  the Maltese Islands were subject to different
  cultural influences ranging from the Romans,
  Arabs and Normans and passing through the French
  and British in more recent times.
• For this reason, the Maltese Islands possess a
  rich intangible heritage that is not only worth
  safeguarding but also sharing with visitors to
  the Maltese Islands.

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Examples of Intangible Heritage in the Maltese
Islands
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• Traditional Maltese song (known locally as ghana)
  
• Traditional manifestations of performing arts
  including village carnivals.

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• Religion has traditionally occupied a central
  role in the Maltese society and therefore a
  number of intangible heritage traditions are
  directly linked to religion.
• Examples include crib making, the
  well-established tradition of processions and
  religious self-sacrifice.

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• The Maltese Islands can also boast of a rich
  tradition when it comes to crafts.
• Lace making in the Maltese Islands dates back to
  the seventeenth century.
• The creation of unique Maltese silverware and
  filigree dates back to the times of the Knights
  of St. Johns of Jerusalem.

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Tourism and Intangible Heritage

• Cultural Tourism can be defined as tourism that
  focuses on the culture, and cultural environments
  including landscapes of the destination, the
  values and lifestyles, heritage, visual and
  performing arts, industries, traditions and
  leisure pursuits of the local population and host
  community.
• With this line of thought, the project PICTURE
  financed by the Sixth Framework Programme of the
  European Union (EU) was aimed at developing a
  governance framework for the sustainable
  management of cultural tourism in small and
  medium sized European cities.

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Intangible Heritage in the Mediterranean

• The Mediterranean as a tourist destination is
  increasingly facing competition from other
  regions in the world.
• However, the Mediterranean has the resources to
  combat this challenge since it possesses a rich
  mixture of cultures and traditions emerging from
  a long historical and political traditions, three
  monotheistic religions, economic activities based
  on fishing and agriculture.

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• This mixture gives the region a competitive edge
  over its competitors and also provides the
  bordering countries of the Mediterranean an
  opportunity to create combined packages.
• For instance, one could create itineraries that
  link regions through a common theme such as for
  example St. Paul (linking Palestine, Cyprus,
  Malta and Rome) the Knights of St. John (linking
  Palestine, Rhodes, Malta, Turkey, Tunisia,
  France) Baroque art, commerce ( trade routes
  linking Accre, Genoa), Islamic art ( linking
  Turkey, Sicily, Marocco, Spain) gastronomy etc.

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The role of Intangible Heritage and Development
in the Mediterranean

• The link between these two concepts has been
  developed by another EU project named DELTA. The
  focus of this project was the development of
  economic activity through the revival of
  intangible activities in the Mediterranean
  countries of Morocco, Algeria, Malta, Israel and
  Palestine.
• The project looked at rural and urban areas and
  identified means through which economic activity
  could be generated.

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Intangible Heritage and Tourism in the Maltese
Islands
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• A Eurostat study that analysed trends in Summer
  Tourism in 2006 stated that Malta was one of the
  few member states that registered an 80 per cent
  bed occupancy in hotels and other establishments
  during the peak month.
• Tourism is responsible for up to 25 percent of
  Maltas economic activity. As a country that does
  not possess extensive natural resources, Malta is
  highly dependant on services-oriented economic
  activities, especially tourism.

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• Intangible Heritage can make an important
  contribution in the promotion of Malta as a
  tourist destination.
• Tourist itineraries could provide foreign
  visitors with the opportunity to visit the more
  rural areas of the Maltese Islands in order to
  experience traditional cuisine or participate in
  the production of traditional crafts.

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Intangible Heritage Attractions in the Maltese
Islands

• The Maltese tourism product can be enriched with
  the introduction of intangible activities
  including
• National Folk Singing Festival
• Malta Fireworks Festival
• Revival of Traditional Religious or calendrical
  rituals such as Imnarja and the feasts of San
  Girgor and St. John
• Traditional Cuisine
• Traditional boat trips, unique crafts and
  festivities in Cottonera (an Inner harbour
  region)
• Promotion of less well known localities such as
  Ghaxaq

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• Christmas
• Maltese Christmas Carols and ghana
• Crib-making
• Procession with Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve
• The Holy Week and Easter
• Recreations of the Last Supper
• Images from the Holy Week and Easter made with
  coloured salts
• The procession of Our Lady of Sorrows
• The procession of Good Friday
• Exhibitions of miniature statues representing the
  Passion of Chris

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Conclusion

• Tourism and Intangible Heritage are becoming
  increasingly interrelated.The cultural richness
  of the Mediterranean region can offer an
  excellent means through which tourism in the area
  can be revived. Furthermore, the Maltese Islands
  are enriched with a diverse and unique Intangible
  Heritage which can make an incisive contribution
  to the local tourist industry. The creation of a
  direct link between tourism and Intangible
  Heritage will ensure that traditional skills and
  products remain economically profitable and
  therefore ensure their preservation in the
  long-term.