Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516098
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 FEBRUARY 2024 2 CULTURE Free guided tours at two Heritage Malta sites on tourist guide day JOINING worldwide initia- tives marking Tourist Guide Day, on Wednesday 21st Feb- ruary Heritage Malta is invit- ing the public to enjoy free guided tours at the Nation- al Museum of Archaeology and the Tarxien Prehistoric Complex. Tourist Guide Day is cel- ebrated every year to salute the skills of these profes- sionals who play a key role in shaping travellers' expe- riences of their destinations, whilst drawing the attention of local authorities, fellow citizens and the media to the importance of this career. This year Heritage Malta teamed up with the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS), Malta's leading educational institution for tourism and hospitality, to create an add- ed attration for everyone vis- iting the National Museum of Archaeology and the Tarxien Prehistoric Complex. Between 9.30am and 1.30pm, visitors purchasing admission to these sites will be able to join a free guided tour, led by ITS tour-guiding students assisted by their lec- turers. The National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta of- fers a spectacular collection and an alluring experience of the Maltese Islands' prehisto- ry and early history. With ar- tefacts dating back from Mal- ta's Neolithic period up till the early Phoenician period, the museum provides an excellent first step to under- standing the richness of the Maltese Islands, their people and their ancestors. The story of the Tarxien Prehistoric Complex, on the other hand, is encapsulated in the site itself. Its impos- ing, awe-inspiring entrances, interconnected passages and fascinating prehistoric art depicting spirals and animals, charmingly transport the vis- itor to the earliest days of civ- ilisation in Malta. Tours will be delivered in both Maltese and English, on the hour and on a first- come-first-served basis. No prebooking is required.