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Condé Nast Traveler crowns Save Posidonia Project earth-friendly initiative of year

Entrega premis 1Last night in a Madrid hotel, at Condé Nast Traveler's annual award gala, CiF land and tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer was on hand to accept the travel website's “green project of the year” distinction for Formentera's Save Posidonia Project.

Ferrer pointed out the selection served as an appropriate symbol for the celebration of 2017 as the year of sustainable tourism, and expressed gratitude for an accolade she predicted would help broaden the campaign's reach.

Framing the Save Posidonia Project are two foundational pillars: one, to raise awareness about the importance of the posidonia plant, and two, to secure new donors as part of an initiative to safeguard seagrass meadows. Ferrer put the current level of donations at over €13,000, money that will be used at season's end to drive a project to protect the important plant.

This week saw the unveiling of a video tied to the campaign which, thanks to Facebook, has already reached upward of 250,000 individuals. To Ferrer, the project is a clear statement about the kind of tourist Formentera hopes to attract and a symbol of the island's commitment to sustainability.

Discover Formentera in May is back

Foto Descobreix for al maigThe Formentera Council Office of Tourism once again presents “Discover Formentera in May,” a programme aimed at drawing tourists to the island by way of deep discounts on ferries, car hire and accommodation plus other various other perks for the island's low-season visitors.

This weekend and the next, at many of the island's restaurants, Gastronomic Weekends are one such bonus. Participating restaurants will offer their particular takes on favourite local dishes, all priced at €20. The selection can be found online at formentera.es.

Among the events intended to encourage travellers to pick Formentera is Formentera Fotogràfica, a gathering of professionals devised for photography enthusiasts that was held April 28 to May 1. Tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer called this year's encounter “an out-and-out success” and “proof that the yearly wave of pre- and post-summer season activities is consistently improving”.

Another part of the campaign, Formentera 2.0, includes discussions of online communication and digital culture that run through May 7. For more information, visit www.formentera20.com. Formentera Film Festival is yet another big tourist draw. It will take place from May 18 to 21.

Sports fixtures like the May 13 half marathon round out the Discover Formentera in May programme. Full details can be found on the Office of Tourism website, together with a list of ferry companies, rental car agencies and overnight stay options which offer discounts.

Formentera takes pitch to German travelers

Foto presentacio alemanya alejandra ferrerTourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer is in Germany this week to give presentations on Formentera in the central European nation's two main cities, Munich and Berlin. She will take the opportunity to make special mention of a particular local initiative, Save Posidonia Project.

Appearing before German media in a Munich restaurant at 12 noon today, Ferrer spoke about the island's off-season charms (“activities and an array of features that make us unique like traditions, gastronomy and culture”) before detailing the plan to raise money to protect the hero of Formentera's ecosystem and beaches: posidonia seagrass. “We explained that preserving our posidonia is going to be fundamental if we want our future generations to enjoy Formentera as we have,” she reported afterwards. It was a presentation where media outlets in niche markets like tourism, sustainability and the environment were especially attentive, particularly given that 2017 is the year of sustainable tourism.

Ferrer will lead another presentation before the press at the Spanish embassy in Berlin. The Balearic agency for tourism and Turespaña both collaborated in the promotional efforts.

14th Ophiusa regatta on board with Save Posidonia Project

Foto presentacio regata ophiusaThe details behind Regatta Ophiusa, a boating fixture that runs from April 13 to 15 and links Sitges and Formentera, were unveiled today at the main offices of the Formentera Council at the hands of local tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer and organiser Josep Maria Ferrer.

Councillor Ferrer proudly announced the adhesion of the regatta's 250 navigators (and their 48 boats) to the Save Posidonia Project and their sponsorship, via QR code, of protected areas of posidonia seagrass. Participants will also be given a special presentation explaining the importance of posidonia conservation. In the words of the event's organiser, “as a group, boat enthusiasts use and enjoy the sea more than most, so it seems quite natural that they be engaged in the conservation side as well”.

He also asserts that the fourteen-year-old event, which receives funding from both the Balearic tourism agency and the Office of Tourism of the Formentera Council, has not strayed from its original vocation as an highly inclusive event. Participants, he said, vary from the most recent winner of the King's Cup to cruise ships whose families hanker for the chance to spend Easter at a boating event during Formentera's more relaxed —and perhaps more authentic— pre-summer season. With a wide array of groups and classifications, Josep Maria Ferrer called the regatta “an event with room for everybody”.

Low-season visitors
Councillor Ferrer indicated her hope that participants of the regatta —which will take place during Semana Santa, or Holy Week— would find plenty of restaurants and entertainment options already open for business. In that way, she said, those or others they'd spoken to would be more inclined to pay Formentera a visit before the start of the traditional season.

The event is 100% Made in Formentera, from its namesake (a Greek designation for the island) to classification titles like “Savina d'Espalmador,” “Savina d'es Cap” and “Savina la Mola” (the premier ranking is “Savina de Plata d'Ophiusa”). Even the trophies, concluded the organiser, are sculpted from Savina juniper wood.

Formentera 2.0 poised once again to make waves in digital culture

Foto presentacio formentera 20 2017At noon today Carlos Bernús and Rosa Castells met in the courtyard of Centre Antoni Tur Gabrielet to give a presentation on the upcoming edition of Formentera 2.0. Bernús, head of the island's tourism advisory board, and Castells, organiser of the gathering on IT and digital culture, pitched Formentera 2.0 as a one of a kind chance for leaders in creativity, new technologies and digital communication to come together against an altogether unique backdrop.

Formentera 2.0's workshops and conferences are aimed at promoting exchanges of ideas and information and educating participants about a digital culture in full evolution. More broadly, organisers see it as an opportunity to connect, share and learning in the company of recognised experts in the field. Plus, the days are formidable occasions for networking, not least because the events put speakers and attendees in direct contact with one another. The philosophy behind Formentera 2.0 is to make learning fun; the motto: “Disconnect to connect”.

Twenty-three people have already registered and interested individuals will have through 25 April to sign up via the website, formentera20.com. For every participant registered ten square metres of posidonia seagrass will be set aside.

Premier speakers
This year's programme tackles digital transformation, social media, content, multimedia platforms, creativity, digital marketing, new technologies, TV, virtual reality and big data. Speakers include first-class names from the world of communication such as digital transformation leader Bernardo Crespo; Carlos Fernández, chief of Iberdrola's digital and social media departments; Ana Castro, manager at Coca-Cola; Franc Aleu, creative director; David Saura, head of content at FC Barcelona; Bruno Sellés, founder of Vasaka and Phil González, founder of Instagramers.

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