Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The language used gives the islands a
mythological image with a hint of mystery. This
is elicited from references made to the painted
eye of Osiris on local fishing boats (
il-luzzu
), and
the myth of Calypso's cave reputed to be located
on the island of Gozo. The historical and the
mythological are intertwined in the brochure
dedicated to prehistory. However, even amid
myth and prehistory the modern visitor is not
that far away since there is a continual juxta-
position of old and new, history and modernity.
In assessing the sites singled out for tourist
attention, one immediately sees that MTA's
imagery does not focus on the actual sites (i.e.
localities) but focuses more on the 'object' - a
palace, or a building, which could be anywhere
on the islands. This approach dissociates the
object from its context but highlights the actual
attraction. An analysis of the localities depicted
show that there are no images of the major tour-
ist resorts; again reinforcing the idea that Malta
is a quiet and tranquil destination.
Apart from these brochures, the MTA uses
coloured posters for campaigns in particular
countries. These are employed in newspapers
and hoardings. As mentioned earlier, each
destination has its own imagery and character.
For instance, Dutch MTA promotions combine
history or culture with activities such as sailing,
diving and walking. The composite image of each
advertisement is based on two pictures - one is an
activity-based image and the other is a heritage-
related image. Each has a caption that highlights
the two activities represented in the image, for
example 'Sail into 7000 years of history and cul-
ture' (Verkeerbureau Malta, 2001). The empha-
sis of the UK campaigns focuses more on the
water element, tranquillity and quietness, where
the visitor can get away from it all. Images used
by the MTA office in London are less coherent in
their message. The images used include the water
element - an empty pool with the exception of
the visitor, a couple standing in front of an empty
beach and diving. These images do not fit in with
the 'cultural image' but emphasize relaxation.
One promotion that did have a 'cultural'
theme was of an old Malta bus driving along a
country road with two farmers and some goats
blocking the way. Using bus times (19.57 and
20.00), this image gives the impression that
Malta has stopped in time (1957) at a gentler
age, yet it is also modern (2000) since a number
of amenities (bars and restaurants) are available
for the visitor. The themes explored by these
images are contrasted in the text, which indi-
cates to the visitor that they can engage in a
range of activities - history, culture,
festa
(described as 'party') or even join the locals in
their evening walk (N. Theuma, 2002, unpub-
lished PhD thesis). In Italy, Malta's image pre-
sents leisure - sea, casino, dining - and appeals
to the fashion-conscious market with captions,
such as 'Malta . . . profumo di mare' (Malta . . .
Images of Malta - the MTA's perspective
The images used by the MTA in its brochures
emphasize heritage (22.9%), water sports and
activities (22.3%) and art and architecture
(13.4%). They depict local characteristics to a
lesser extent, with 8.3% of the images of local
crafts, the local 'pub',
hanut tat-te
, and the
luzzu
, towns and villages including Valletta
(7%), and cultural expressions through the
depiction of
festas
, invented and religious pag-
eantry (5.7%). These images do not pay much
attention to people, giving the impression of
a sparsely populated island. The image trans-
mitted is one of tranquillity hiding the fact the
islands are some of the most densely populated
territories in Europe. Such images can mislead
the visitor and can have a negative impact on
visitors who arrive to find that the Maltese
islands are heavily built up, with road conges-
tion and busy local people. Thus, in the author's
survey (N. Theuma, 2002, unpublished PhD
thesis) one German tourist commented 'I never
knew Malta was so built-up'.
In the brochures just 12.7% of the images
depict the local people. The largest proportion
of these (35%), show the Maltese during festive
celebrations. The remaining images depict peo-
ple at leisure or appearing relaxed in traditional
work (children at play, people talking, fisher-
men mending nets or engaging in fishing or
lace-making). Tourists, on the other hand, are
represented mostly as young couples, without
children. Such imagery indicates that the MTA
has moved away from depicting the country as
a family destination, so popular with the UK
market hitherto (M.L. Callus and S. Bajada,
1994, unpublished report for National Tourism
Organization of Malta).
