Fitur 2024 kicked off this Wednesday at Ifema Madrid and one of the first public events of the fair was the visit of the King and Queen of Spain to the Balearic Islands stand. There, Felipe and Letizia, accompanied by the President of Congress, Francina Armengol, were received by the President of the Government, Margalida Prohens, and the other authorities of the islands present at the fair.
Pioneering call for proposals
On the first day of Fitur, the Government of the Balearic Islands announced that it will allocate 22.6 million euros to improving the private tourism sector in order to promote sustainable growth and its social, environmental and economic value. This amount is divided into two items: one aimed at R+D+i, worth 13.6 million euros, and another to improve the energy efficiency of establishments, with an allocation of 9 million euros.
This was confirmed by the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, who stated that the Government’s strategic line is to focus on three areas: innovation, training and sustainability. “The success of our tourism sector,” said Prohens, “has been a lever for the birth of numerous technology companies focused on the tourism sector, which have contributed to increasing its competitiveness, and which have quietly turned our islands into a Silicon Valley, a pole of reference in tourism innovation, an exporter of innovation and technological know-how applied to the tourism industry.
To continue strengthening this business effort, the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport will publish two pioneering calls for applications for grants to finance innovative projects through cooperation, with the aim of seeking, implementing and digitising innovative sustainable solutions for tourist establishments in the Balearic Islands, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by the European Union through the Next Generation EU funds.
In addition, 9 million euros from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan will be used to finance projects to improve the energy efficiency of tourist accommodation and the use of renewable energies in heating, air conditioning, cooling, ventilation and hot water installations, as well as in lighting installations. Prohens stressed that “our environment is our main attraction and, therefore, we must conserve and preserve it by committing to sustainability, an aspect in which the Balearic tourism sector is a pioneer and a benchmark, for example, with the application of circularity formulas”.
The calls for applications will be published in the first quarter of 2024. All the information, once officially published, can be found on the website mrrturisme.caib.es.
Canary and Balearic Islands join forces
Subsequently, the Balearic and Canary Islands held a meeting to analyse connectivity needs in the archipelagos Both administrations took advantage of the Fitur event to make initial contact and exchange views on the islands’ mobility needs, and on the policies that need to be developed to guarantee connectivity between the islands and between the islands and the mainland.
Councillor Vidal and her Canary Islands counterpart agreed to continue holding regular meetings to coordinate actions to ensure air and maritime transport on the islands. The meeting held in Madrid was also attended by the Director General of Mobility of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Lorena del Valle.
Likewise, the two councillors, who also coordinate the government’s housing areas, agreed that both archipelagos are experiencing a situation of high residential demand, and commented on the decrees on this matter that the island governments have developed, in the case of the Balearic Islands, which have been in force for four months, and, in the case of the Canary Islands, the Council is working on a proposal that will be presented in the coming months.
PortsIB returns to the tourism fair
On the other hand, and after a decade of absence, PortsIB has returned to Fitur this 2024. With a stand located in Hall 7 (stand 7B08), within the Balearic Islands space, PortsIB has not only reaffirmed its role in tourism but also demonstrates its commitment to sustainable and responsible practices. The councillor for the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, leads the PortsIB Balearic delegation and has expressed the intention of the Conselleria to find a “balance and make prudent use of coastal resources”. “We reinforce our focus on environmental sustainability and the promotion of quality nautical tourism. We must focus our efforts on finding a balance and making prudent use of our resources, preserving and valuing our cultural and natural heritage. This must be the reflection of our port management,” he said.
The International Tourism Fair being held in Madrid from this Wednesday will run until 28 January.
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