[WATCH] Valletta CVA charges to be waived for summer as part of plan to regenerate capital post-COVID

As Valletta works to recover from the effects of the coronavirus crisis, the government has launched a €750,000 investment to reignite the capital’s economy.

The plan will see the CVA fees, normally charged to people entering the city using private transport, waived for the months of July, August and September.

All restaurant permit fees for tables and chairs will also be waived from the three summer months.

For July and August, sea ferry transport between Sliema and Valletta and Cottonera and Valletta will be free of charge every day from 6pm to midnight.

Free guided tours in Maltese and English for Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna attractions, the Upper Barrakka Gardens and saluting battery, the War Headquarter Tunnel and Lascaris War Rooms will be provided, while admission to museums, including MUŻA, St Elmo’s and the archeology museum will be free of charge in July.

Valletta Cultural Agency chairperson Jason Micallef

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Valletta Cultural Agency chairperson Jason Micallef said that, over the three summer months, three free cultural activities will be held in the capital on average, including musical concerts, the Pageant of the Seas, the Malta Jazz Festival and street art and theatre.

“From July to September, Valletta will be ‘dressed’ in a festive way - it will be lit up and decorated with flags and pavilions,” Micallef said.

The stimulus, he said, would be crucial for Valletta to regenerate following the lull caused by COVID-19.

Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said the investment was all the more important when considering the fact that 91% of all tourists who come to Malta visit the capital, with 10% choosing to reside there during their stay.

“The initiative is aimed at giving life once again to our capital, and to offer the experience which tourists expect from a capital city,” she said, highlighting that the Tourism Ministry would be contributing €350,000 to the total investment.

Malta will re-open its doors to tourists on 1 July, when the flight ban starts being lifted to specific countries. On 15 July, all remaining travel bans will be lifted.