Today, Alejandra Ferrer, Vice-President and Councillor of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera, attended the Fifth Conference on Tourism and Society - New Horizons in Tourism at Fundació La Caixa in Girona. At "Models of Tourism", Vice-President Ferrer pointed that since the creation of the Consell de Formentera, the island's government has defended a model that is "built around balance and which seeks to enhance visitor experience while bettering and respecting the quality of life of residents".
Ferrer offered an overview of local tourism over the years and explained how the island's triple insularity protected it from speculation that affected other coastal territories. "Our current policies are about striking a balance between caring for the land, protecting the tourist economy and safeguarding natural resources. We have also created the Formentera Observatory, a tool that not only provides insight into our strengths as a destination, but also the threats we face, so that we can craft policies to counteract those threats", she said.
Ferrer highlighted some of the policies that prioritise quality tourism and visitors interested in finding something special, who appreciate the island's unique, laid-back pace She pointed to plans for a vast network of electric vehicle recharge stations, nature trails, a ceiling on permits for overnight rentals and the formentera.eco project to regulate vehicles on island roads during the high season.
Ferrer also described challenges such as saturation and, at sea, anchoring ships and tailoring the port to meet local needs, account for carrying capacity and move towards decarbonisation. In that regard, Ferrer appealed for "the courage to implement protection policies and, at the same time, respect from other administrations so we can make these policies a reality and have the control to self-govern and manage our situation ourselves". Lastly, Ferrer underscored the importance of "continuing to build increased awareness", reasoning, "People appreciate what they know, and they protect what they appreciate". "It is now clear that more is not always better", she added, "but better can mean more".
26 November 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera
Ten unemployed islanders aged 16 to 29 have started an occupational training course that the Formentera Office of Entrepreneurship is hosting for aspiring youth activity leaders. The classes are subsidised by the training and employment division of the regional jobseekers' office.