Resounding success: almost 10,000 apply for Heritage Malta’s Senior Passport

Heritage Malta’s Student Passport boosted with a Summer Programme

Following the great response received from students regarding the Heritage Malta Student Passport, Heritage Malta and the Local Councils’ Association are pleased to note that the demand for the Heritage Malta Senior Passport is even more outstanding.

In fact, in less than two months from the launching of the Senior Passport, 9,687 applications were received. The three Local Councils in Malta who received most applications were Mosta, Birkirkara and Attard, whereas those in Gozo were Xagħra, Victoria and Ghasri.

“This outstanding response is in itself testament to the successes of our culture strategy, when it comes to outreach and audience engagement. In this way, we are creating more and more incentives for locals to appreciate our abundant local heritage both from an early age with the student passport, and also for our senior citizens through the senior passport. As a Government we are committed to keep increasing accessibility for cultural and artistic events and initiatives by making the sector more available to our community, in a manner that is easier to get to,” stated Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government Owen Bonnici.

Up to now, around 1,000 seniors have already accessed Heritage Malta’s attractions free of charge and there were 500 youths who were accompanying them. The three most visited Heritage Malta attractions by seniors were MUŻA - the national community-art museum, the National Museum of Archaeology and the Palace State Rooms. All three are located in Valletta.

Heritage Malta Executive Director Mario Cutajar said that by means of such initiatives, as is this passport scheme, Heritage Malta is changing its vision and mission by shifting its focus from the conservation of the Maltese heritage to ensuring accessibility. Such initiatives notably open the doors of local historical sites to the Maltese people.

In this way however, we would only be increasing the awareness and appreciation for what makes us Maltese. Such initiatives must be sustained by others such as wider educational programmes which would ensure that students’ visits are not only enjoyable outings but are also experiences. More significant investment in the sites themselves is also required as they convey a relevant message and give an experience in and of themselves.

Mr Cutajar concluded by stating that working closely with local councils on this senior passport scheme may be a prelude to broader work aimed at ensuring that knowledge of local heritage becomes more widespread and gives new life to the collaboration between Heritage Malta and local councils, as much as it would give Heritage Malta a new dimension, as an agency by the people and for the people.

Those senior citizens who would like to receive a Heritage Malta Senior Passport are invited to call in person with their identity card at their Local Councils. The Local Council staff will enrol them in the Senior Passport system, and the passport together with an information leaflet will be received by post from Heritage Malta.

With this passport, each senior citizen will have free and unlimited access to all Heritage Malta’s attractions (with the exception of the Closed Sites and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum). Moreover, each senior citizen may also choose to be accompanied by one or two youths during these visits who will also be entitled to free access.

On each visit to any of Heritage Malta’s attractions, the Senior Passport holder has to ensure that the passport is stamped. With every 8 stamps collected, a reward will be given to the holder by Heritage Malta, to a total of 3 rewards.

In August, following 100 days from the launching of the Senior Passport, Heritage Malta and the Local Councils’ Association will be announcing the three villages or cities from Malta and Gozo that received the highest amount of applications.

In the meantime, Heritage Malta is boosting the Student Passport with further opportunities during the summer holidays. From July to September, students aged from 5 to 15, can choose to attend several exciting activities that include comic art creations, drawing sessions, English creative writing and storytelling.

Activities are against a €5 donation, however students who have collected all the stamps of Heritage Malta’s attractions can attend for free. Tickets can be bought from all Heritage Malta’s sites and museums upon presentation of the Student Passport.

The first activities will commence this coming Saturday.