Museums and historical sites received more than two million visitors in 2007, a rise of 6 per cent from the previous year.
The number of museums and historical sites in Malta and Gozo increased to 70 in 2007. Nearly half of these museums were state-owned.
‘Archaeology and history’ museums and ‘monuments and sites’ were the most common categories of museums during 2007. In fact, there were 13 of each. ‘Other museums’ include thematic ones on toys, religious artifacts, banking and aviation.
There were a total of 2,055,357 admissions to museums in Malta and Gozo in 2007, 94 per cent of which were paid admissions. This shows an increase of 6 per cent from 2006. Art museums had the highest share of admissions with 37 per cent of the total. These were followed by archaeology and history museums.
During 2007, the total number of employees increased from 445 to 455 persons – 358 full-time and 97 part-time. The majority were classified as ‘other staff’, which includes clerks, cleaners and messengers. A further 189 persons were working on a voluntary basis. In 2007, 69 per cent of the total staff employed by museums and historical sites were males. The same was noted for those engaged in voluntary work (61 per cent).
A total number of 222 new exhibits were purchased by museums and historical sites during 2007 – a decrease of 12 per cent on the previous year.
During the year under review, €10.8 million were spent by museums and historical sites, an increase of 10 per cent over 2006. The highest proportion of the total expenditure was spent on staff. In fact, 62 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure fell under staff costs. Museums and historical sites registered a total income of just over €10.6 million, resulting in a financial loss of €0.2 million.
The total income of museums in 2007 decreased by 1.6 per cent over 2006. Admission fees made up 66 per cent of the total income.