Formentera woos Chinese travellers

Carlos Bernús, chair of Formentera's tourism advisory board, is currently in China for Shanghai's World Bridge Tourism Project, where participants are busily laying the groundwork for 2018 as the year of Chinese tourism in Europe. One hundred fifty European firms were invited to the series of day-long gatherings aimed at bridging the cultural divide through actions within the European Union and the People's Republic. One of the twelve Spanish entities tapped to participate in initiative was Formentera's Patronat de Turisme.

Over the course of the travel industry trade show, Bernús will sit in on some 15 meetings with tour operators and travel agencies in an effort to market Formentera's qualities as a destination spot. He pointed out that a February spike in flights between Spain and China coincides with the moment Chinese holidaymakers break for new year festivities—“a prime time to encourage travel to our island,” Bernús said.

Next year Formentera will once again attend China's forum for Spanish tourism, or FOTEC, scheduled for June 2018 in Shanghai. “The goal is not to completely overhaul our list of target markets,” clarified the head of tourism promotion, “but we want to position Formentera as an option for people travelling Europe during the off-season”. Getting there will require cooperation from the island's dining establishments and hotels, who, with minimal tweaks, can adapt to the needs of Chinese travellers.