Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the development of the cultural heritage sector on the island of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago. The studying of these relationships is very important to maximise the impact of the cultural heritage sector on tourism. The importance of the development of cultural tourism as a specific niche has been consistently recognised (Boissevain, 1994; Ministry for Tourism and Culture, 2007; Ministry for Tourism Culture and the Environment, 2016; Ministry for Tourism, 2014).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>A case study methodology is adopted. The findings have been sourced mainly through secondary data such as official publications and materials available publicly, and through the author’s in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural context of Gozo.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>The paper’s main outcome is that the success of the cultural heritage sector in Gozo can be attributed to the close collaboration that exists between the Ministry for Gozo (responsible for Gozitan affairs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). While a culture of mistrust towards state institutions is generally prevalent among Gozitans (Azzopardi, 2015), the level of collaboration between the Ministry for Gozo and NGOs, may tend to show that Gozitans are more keen to trust state institutions run by the same Gozitans.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>This paper analyses the underlying relationships in the cultural heritage sector on the island of Gozo. This is very important to continue building up on this niche as an added value to the tourism sector in Gozo.</jats:p></jats:sec>