A €300,000 project entitled “Med Pot — Mediterranean Pack of Tourism by the Art of Pottery and Ceramic”, which is being financed by the European Union under Interreg IIIA, Medpot was launched on Tuesday.
The project has already brought together 42 participants, that vary from ceramists, hoteliers and tour operators, and the aim is to combine the manufacture of ceramics and its touristic marketing. These participants, together with Sicilian businesses drew up a plan for the development and creation of a typical Mediterranean artisan product, with the aim of promoting it commercially in Malta.
After the drafting of the plan for the product, Maltese and Sicilian students were asked to produce a number of prototypes of this product. The prototype chosen as the best product was produced by a Maltese student. Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said that “the Government is committed to helping small businesses take advantage of the opportunities offered to us by membership in the European Union. Thanks to this project, a number of businesses from different sectors are now working together. This is a form of clustering that helps businesses to diversify and reach more clients than they would if they had to remain alone.”
“The Maltese student ceramist that created the product that will be used to symbolise “La Mediterranean” will be attending an 8-week scholarship in Sicily in order to further improve his craft.
This product will be advertised in both Malta and Sicily, and it is an honour that from the number of Maltese and Sicilian participants, the chosen product was made by a Maltese MCAST student” continued the Hon. Vassallo. Hoteliers are being asked to exhibit the artisan products in their hotels. A number of hotels have already accepted to this. A number of consultants will be developing a tourist itinerary, which will then be applied jointly by Maltese and Sicilian tour operators.This project is being worked in conjunction with the Maltese-Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Malta Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and with the Sciacca local government in Sicily. “These are the first forms of clustering that are being carried out by Maltese ceramists, and they will help the artisans to take advantage of the tourism market by promoting local crafts.
This project is beneficial for all those participating in it. However, we need a lot more apprentices in this sector. I hope that more students will consider taking up studies in this subject and take advantage of the opportunities available. In this way the sector will continue to develop and create more jobs” concluded Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo.