John EbejerUniversity of Malta · Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture
John Ebejer
BE&A. MA. FHEA. PhD
About
27
Publications
12,970
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105
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Dr. John Ebejer is Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta. He authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, mostly on urban tourism and historic areas. He authored the book ‘Tourism in European Cities’. Before academia, he worked for many years as an architect, urban planner and tourism consultant. He holds a Masters degree in urban planning from the University of Sheffield and a Doctorate in tourism from the University of Westminster.
Publications
Publications (27)
Despite significant potential for cultural tourism, the predominant form of tourism in Malta is sun and sea. This paper evaluates Malta’s potential for cultural tourism with a focus on Valletta, a fortified historic city that overlooks the Grand Harbour. Valletta’s rich urban heritage and historic narrative makes it ideal for the development of a m...
This article provides an understanding of how tourists experience heritage urban spaces by investigating features that influence tourist experiences most. It is framed within urban design literature which refers to three elements of urban space namely physical setting (or form), activity, and meaning. These elements are used to explore how urban sp...
In the past two decades, significant public investments in cultural infrastructure and events encouraged the private sector to consider new investment opportunities in Valletta, particularly in short-term rental accommodation, catering establishments and boutique hotels. In recent years, there was a sharp increase in boutique hotels, tourism rental...
Changes in the way the tourism industry operates have brought about major changes in tourism destinations worldwide, including Malta. This book chapter considers the role of urban heritage in the development of Malta's tourism. Its underlying theme is Malta's potential transition from 'blue' to 'grey' tourism. The chapter lists several factors that...
The chapter develops an understanding of the tourist experience by investigating those elements that are most influential in shaping the experience at a city destination. The main focus is on the role of meaning and sense of place in this process.The book 'Tourism in European Cities: Architecture, Urban Spaces, and City Attractions' is available fr...
The publication is a record of the verbal presentations made during the webinar held in January 2021. They provide some very useful and interesting insights on many topics that are debated in tourism academic literature. The presentations are of interest to anyone doing research on tourism resorts, historic areas, destination management, small isla...
The paper compares two remarkable fortified historic towns namely Rhodes Town (Rhodes) and Valletta (Malta). In history the two cities were the seats of the Knights of St. John, a formidable military force in the Mediterranean (1306 to 1522 and 1530 to 1798, respectively). Both still possess a rich urban heritage including extensive fortifications....
Many cities provide a diversified architectural structure from different eras of their history including a broad range of contemporary architecture. The chapter debates how new contemporary architecture developments, including iconic architecture, are used by cities to enhance their attractiveness in the context of increased competition between cit...
Pre-publication excerpt from: Tourism in European Cities: The visitor experience of architecture, urban spaces and city attractions
The range and quality of the resources offered by a destination is one important factor that attracts tourists to it. A tourist at a city destination makes use of a range of resources and therefore the overall experience of the destination is the outcome of a combination of attractions, transport, accommodation, entertainment and other services. Wh...
The chapter sets the scene for the rest of the book. It describes the urban tourism research agenda and notes where this book sits within that agenda. This chapter also discusses what motivates people to travel to cities and hence the reason that makes cities major centres of tourism activity.
Enter 2020 and with it the beginnings of the global covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has given rise to great uncertainty and brought with it difficult issues of unprecedented complexity. City destinations that previously suffered from overtourism are now faced with an opposite concern; after the effects of the pandemic have subsided there will be in...
Visitor attractions have a crucial role in the development and success of tourism destinations. There are several resources that must be present for a city to be effective as a tourism destination but it is visitor attractions that play the most important role. The purpose of this section is to better understand the nature of attractions, to introd...
Cities are in constant change due to various social and economic forces. Cities seek to guide these changes in a manner that will enhance their competitiveness in a global context of stiff competition between cities. These are discussed in this manuscript. It is an excerpt from the book <Tourism in European Cities: The visitor experience of archite...
The paper considers the hosting of the European Capital of Culture in Malta in 2018 in the light of the cultural and social effects on Malta's capital city, Valletta. Governance and impacts on Malta's tourism are also debated. The cultural sector was positively impacted with a varied and innovative programme. The expectations for Valletta 2018 was...
The paper compares two remarkable fortified historic towns namely Rhodes Town (Rhodes) and Valletta (Malta). In history the two cities were the seats of the Knights of St. John, a formidable military force in the Mediterranean (1306 to 1522 and 1530 to 1798, respectively). Both still possess a rich urban heritage including extensive fortifications....
Urban heritage is sometimes perceived to be a constraint to economic and social development. Experience in many cities shows that historic buildings and areas can be turned into an opportunity if there is careful planning. In the paper, two case studies are discussed. The first is the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Helsinki, Finland, and the second is F...
The Gozo landscape refers primarily to the rural landscape of countryside and coast. It also refers to the urban landscape of Gozo's historic village cores. The Sustainable Tourism Workshop group reflected on the role of the landscape in Gozo's tourism, with an emphasis on how Gozo tourism can be made more sustainable. This paper is the outcome of...
Urban heritage is sometimes perceived to be a constraint to economic and social development. Experience in many cities shows that historic buildings and areas can be turned into an opportunity if there is careful planning. In the paper, two case studies are discussed. The first is the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Helsinki, Finland, and the second is F...
The traditional approach to tourism as a service has been replaced with increased focus on the tourism experience. This book considers the tourism experience of historic urban spaces from two distinct yet overlapping approaches, namely urban design and tourism studies. Broadly, the book is divided into three parts. The first looks at the theory and...
The purpose of this research is to take a closer look at the tourism experience, with special reference to the experience of historic areas. The basis for the research is an urban design model based on three elements of urban spaces, namely form, activity and meaning. The model is often used and discussed in urban design literature to explain sense...
When visiting a place, people sometimes experience something which goes beyond physical or sensory properties. This is often referred to as 'sense of place' or 'genius loci'. In urban design literature, sense of place is often attributed to three elements namely physical setting, activity and meaning. This presentation will consider one element, na...
The quality of urban spaces is dependent on numerous factors involving the physical attributes of buildings, spaces and street patterns but also on other factors relating to the psychology of place. In this paper, Valletta's urban spaces are discussed using a model from urban design literature. The discussion also considers the interrelationship be...
Many cities, but particularly capitals, are torn between emphasising their international relevance, and their local significance. This issue is explored in this paper via an in-depth analysis of Valletta, the Maltese capital. The issue of inward versus outward orientation is particularly interesting with reference to island capitals as they are oft...
The paper describes the beach replenishment project for St. Georges Bay carried out in 2004. This was the first beach replenishment for Malta. Apart from sand sourcing and placing, the project involved the creation of a storm water system and a promenade.
Projects
Projects (5)
Selected excerpts and chapters from the book ‘Tourism in European Cities: The visitor experience of architecture, urban spaces and city attractions’ are being uploaded to this project. Three years in the making, thirteen chapters and three hundred pages. The author is a researcher and tourism specialist with many years experience in tourism product development. The book is to be published shortly.
To develop a better understanding of the role of urban heritage in tourism.
To explore the nature of the tourist experience and examine the various elements that impinge upon it.
