Marketing Manager Launches Campaign To See Maltese Cuisine ‘Given Dues’ On Largest Online Review Hub
Malta has no shortage of fine food. So much so, that the discovery of Maltese cuisine not featuring as a ‘stand alone’ on TripAdvisor, was enough to hit one man right in the feels.
Drew Henry, head of marketing at Grands Suites Hotel, located in Gżira, made the discovery, and it had him start a campaign that would see this issue corrected.
TripAdvisor is the World’s largest travel review site to date. As of 2021, their total number of user reviews and opinions reached approximately one billion. This number covers listings for restaurants, hotels, vacation rentals, and attractions.
Though while smaller countries like Guatemala have been given their own cuisine category, Malta has been cast aside, labeled under the general umbrella of ‘Mediterranean cuisine’.
The news irked Henry to the point where he was left no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
“We believe that Maltese food is different and shouldn’t be grouped under the heading: ‘Mediterranean’”, Henry said.
“And in a bid to get the respect our national dishes deserve our hotel residences’ have launched a petition to encourage Tripadvisor to fix their faux-pas, make the change and acknowledge ‘Maltese’ as a global cuisine”.
They even reached out to Tripadvisor’s CEO Steve Kaufer to try and instigate change. However, the request has since fallen on deaf ears.
From the humble Pastizzi, to our mouth-watering ftajjar biż-żejt, not to mention our seasonal sweets, there is no question that Malta offers its own unique cuisine, destined to melt your heart.
Food is the first thing tourists talk about when they head back home, and practically the only thing we locals talk about whilst we’re actually at home.
Interestingly, should Henry succeed in his mission, he would have opened a portal for up to one billion tourists that could potentially visit us, and try it out for themselves.
Want to rally to the cause? You can do so by clicking here.
Do you think Maltese food should be given its due importance on TripAdvisor?