Her Excellency Dr Vicki Ann Cremona, Ambassador of Malta to France and Mr Thierry Durand, MTA’s representative in France ahead of the showing of the Malta Experience at Les Invalides.

Unique Maltese artefacts and Malta experience make waves in France

On 26th November the French tourism trade, which included tour operators, travel agents and journalists were invited to view the exhibition ‘Between the Battlesword and the Cross: Masterpieces of the Armoury of Malta’. This exhibition is currently being held at the Musée de l’Armée Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris and was visited by over 15,000 people within the first weeks of opening last October. They also had the opportunity to view the recently digitalised 37-minute long multivision show. Over 100 people attended this special event, which was the first of its kind ever held overseas..

The exhibition was set up by the Maltese Embassy in Paris; in collaboration with Heritage Malta and the Musée de l’Armée and will be open until 11th January. It showcases Malta’s rich cultural history and is one of the highlights of the cultural season of the French EU Presidency and features artefacts from museums managed by Heritage Malta as well as from the Invalides, the Musée de la Marine, Epernay and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

In line with promoting Malta as a cultural destination abroad, the MTA created a special event by concluding a deal with ‘The Malta Experience’ management. The Show was projected at the Auditorium Austerlitz, which is just next door to where the exhibition is being held. This is the first time that ‘The Malta Experience’ was used as a marketing tool abroad by MTA. It was also an occasion for MTA to present to the French trade the positive performance of Malta in 2008, the additional summer 09 KM flights from Charles de Gaulle Airport, and the expected future developments.

On the occasion her Excellency Dr Vicki Ann Cremona, Ambassador of Malta to France, Mr Simon Kamsky, MTA Regional Director Southern Italy, Mr Dominic Micallef Segment Head History & Culture and Mr Thierry Durand, MTA’s representative in France, delivered welcome speeches. Mr Martin Mercieca, Mr Michael Borg, and Mr Michael J. Wrigley represented ‘The Malta Experience’.