Old ovens to become tourist attractions

A Valletta bakery will be restoring two old ovens to offer tourists an insight into the Maltese bread-making tradition apart from the run-of-the-mill food selection.

Maypole, a bakery chain, will be maximising the use of a Valletta outlet and turning it into a tourist attraction.

Such enterprising businesses were benefiting from an EU-funded scheme that was co-financing their innovative tourism projects, the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco said. He mentioned the Maypole example to stress a point on the effectiveness of innovation in the tourism sector while speaking during the National Student Travel Foundation's Mini European Assembly.

"Our tourism industry is operating in a globalised environment with increasing stiff competition and, therefore, destinations strive to achieve or maintain competitiveness. In this context, sustainable tourism and innovation become even more important.

"Innovation needs to be incorporated in tourism processes; that is in the way we do things, conduct business, welcome tourists and provide them with an experience. It should be a key element in our decisions and in the formulation of our tourism products. This is the only way through which our tourism sector can remain competitive and sustainable. Innovation is not a choice but a necessity," he said.