VALLETTA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Maltese Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo called for innovative digital technologies in tourism at a meeting of the Mediterranean Tourism Forum held here on Wednesday.

Bartolo said, "As Maltese, and as the Mediterranean region, we should strive to be more innovative in the way we preserve cultural traditions alongside the present and future through technology."

A declaration was signed at the end of the meeting with pledges to promote responsible and quality sustainable tourism, and the declaration foresees stronger cooperation to safeguard the interests of the region in tourism.

Pointing out that climate change is affecting the Mediterranean, Bartolo said that "we must collaborate more on an international scale to keep spurring more innovation to build a tourism model based on sustainability for the next ten years."