Heritage Malta made €6 million in ticket sales

Heritage Malta made €6 million from the sale of entrance tickets to its museums and sites last year, Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici told parliament on Tuesday.

Ticket sales in the first quarter of 2023 have already generated €1.5 million, he added, a significant increase from €839,000 in the same period last year.

Bonnici said the figures indicated that the agency had recovered from the doldrums of the pandemic.

The minister was speaking in parliament on the financial estimates of Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the regulator, both of which fall under his purview.

Giving an overview of Heritage Malta’s work in 2022, Bonnici said the agency made a total of €7.6 million income last year, including the ticket sales. 

He said the self-generated income is over and above the government allocation of €12 million. It ensured the agency remained financially strong.

Heritage Malta is a government entity tasked with administering the country’s heritage.

Bonnici said Heritage Malta registered a surplus of €858,962 in 2022 after a deficit of €1 million in 2021, which was characterised by site closures caused by the pandemic.

The overall group surplus attributable to Heritage Malta increased to €1 million in 2022.

Bonnici said the agency’s capital reserves stood at €28.6 million made up of funds allocated by government for capital projects, EU funds and other donations received by the agency.