Formentera takes quest for green tourism to London

Wtm foto grup 2017The World Travel Market, England's largest travel trade show, began its three-day run today. As the expo cranks into gear, tourism secretary Alejandra Ferrer and the chief of the island's board of tourism, Carlos Bernús, will be on hand to represent and promote the island to London travellers.

Aside from a presence at the Balearic Islands' stand, where tourism students from UIB have been enlisted to speak to expo attendees, Formentera shares a stand with Menorca and Mallorca that sits opposite the fair's central hall, a location that Councillor Ferrer assured had “great visibility”.

Sustainable strategy
According to Ferrer, for the islands' designated day tomorrow, a presentation before representatives of at least 15 media outlets will focus on individual islands' “sustainability strategies”. She said they planned to take stock of the Save Posidonia Project and “talk about our ambition for increasingly earth-conscious tourism. Like we always say, it's about quality, not quantity”.

At the same time, the Formentera reps are sitting down with travel agencies, tour operators and public relations firms to plot out communications and marketing strategies for their UK markets. Forecasting a handover of tourism promotions authority “in the next few months,” Ferrer described the Council's plan as “getting to work winning back our British travellers, particularly with the good connections that Eivissa has in the off-season and through winter”. The Council, she said, hopes to pander to Brits by promoting the array of activities on the island “that don't involve sun and beaches,” like birdwatching, gastronomy, sport and culture.

The Formentera agents are reaching out to specialised firms and media outlets to sniff out more diverse fairs. Looking ahead to the transfer of authority on travel promotions to Formentera, the island, said Ferrer, is scouting for tourists interested in “typically low-season activities”.