By 2030 our goal is to double the percentage of screen tourists in Malta” – Johann Grech, Malta Film Commissioner
This morning, the Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech addressed the Screen Tourism Conference held at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta, as part of the series of masterclasses, panel discussions, and other events organised during the second edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival.
Addressing the audience, Mr Grech said that more people are seeing Malta featured in various films shot on our islands, and thus more people want to come and visit Malta, because they see an utterly stunning location to visit for the next holiday. He added “I want to challenge the whole industry to commit to a goal that by 2030 we double the percentage of visitors to Malta who are screen tourists.”
Another key speaker at the conference, Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness Hon. Clayton Bartolo, said that screen tourism is a growing phenomenon in Malta. He added that “Survey data indicates that 3% of tourists attributed films shot in Malta as the influencing factor for their choice of Malta as their destination.” This means that one in every thirty-three people visiting Malta selected the destination because of locally filmed cinematic productions, or 90,000 tourists each year are attracted to Malta thanks to films shot on the Maltese islands.
Panel discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities of screen tourism with the participation of various international experts and key local stakeholders. The discussions yielded into the importance of attracting more quality tourists to Malta, specifically screen tourists.
In order to enhance the potential of screen tourism, the Malta Film Commission signed two memoranda of understanding with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and Heritage Malta (HM). The three entities will collaborate on marketing campaigns to promote Malta as a filming destination and a tourist hotspot.
The Malta Film Commission is committed to assist the MTA in developing a digital interactive map highlighting renowned film locations in Malta, with the possibility of exploring the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to further enhance the experience, thus also serving as promotional tool. Themed informational guides coinciding with the release of popular films shot in Malta will be promoted with the tourists as part of this screen tourism initiative.
The Malta Film Commission and Heritage Malta have agreed to promote historical sites to filmmakers worldwide, as well as raise awareness about heritage conservation through the medium of film, media, publications, and the Mediterrane Film Festival. They will jointly be organizing a series of screenings at the actual film locations, focusing on major international films shot in Malta and highlighting the island’s rich film history and heritage sites.
The three entities will be exploring the possibility of supporting the production of a film or TV series focusing on major historical and pre-historical eras, such as the Knights of St John and the Great Siege of 1565.
The MoUs were signed by the Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech, Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef, and Heritage Malta CEO Noel Zammit.
For Mr Micallef, the MoU between the Malta Film Commission and the MTA means that tourism and film shall aim to achieve greater synergies for the benefit of the Maltese Islands, notably by attracting higher spending tourists. Mr Zammit explained that this MoU will merge the old with the new, as the historical sites will be lending themselves exceptionally as filming locations for exciting new productions, thus promoting the agency’s cultural heritage.
Mr Grech said that the biggest blockbusters were filmed in Malta, and added that in the last seven years, about 150 different productions filmed in Malta, which altogether spent over half a billion euros. He said that these MoUs will enhance the potential of screen tourism and is confident that with the right partners and strategy, screen tourism will reap into desirable results.