The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera reports that this week a sales mission will be run in Zurich, and next week another will take place in Geneva. Formentera's representatives will meet with travel agents specialised in the Swiss public to explain all the possibilities offered by the island in the low season.

"This allows us to attract Swiss tourists, who typically make long trips and feel comfortable with the spring-like climate that Formentera offers during the low season", explained Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor. Actions such as this one seek to boost the proportion of Swiss travellers, who accounted for 2% of Formentera's total visitors in 2022.

Promotional material will highlight the opportunities that Formentera provides travellers who are keen to practise sports or enjoy the cultural, heritage or culinary offer, as well as proposals to enjoy nature or go on birdwatching trails, while learning about local history and islanders' most deeply rooted traditions.

22 February 2023
Office of Communication
Council of Formentera

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, has participated in "Moving Towards Sustainability", a conference at the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca organised by the Economic and Social Council of the Balearic Islands. Ferrer, who is also head of the Formentera Data Observatory, took part in a round-table discussion titled "Carrying Capacity and Insularity" which was aimed at addressing issues affecting islands, insular territories and economic, social, environmental and demographic dynamics in the Balearic Islands. The event took place yesterday afternoon.

Ferrer explained efforts under way at the Formentera Data Observatory and data being collected there "are key to future decisions that will help highlight issues stemming from Formentera's twice compounded insularity, particularly around prices and the cost of living." The vice-president also stressed the importance of Formentera having its own services on the island, and if they cannot be provided, to compensate for the extra costs, as is the case of students who must pursue higher education off the island.

On the island's carrying capacity, Ferrer spoke about formentera.eco, a project to regulate in-bound vehicles, which she described as "an example of a measures that can be taken to regulate carrying capacity." "Now, this regulation should be extended to our coasts, which clearly have their carrying capacity exceeded", she insisted, "but only with collaboration from every level of government will the path to sustainability in the islands be real."

17 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today on Formentera, the Agency for Tourism Strategy of the Balearic Islands (AETIB) has presented efforts to define the underpinnings of a tourism intelligence system in the Balearic Islands. Alejandra Ferrer, vice-president and tourism councillor, offered opening remarks at the event, which also included members of the tourism sector and law enforcement agencies, as well as Francesc Mateu, AETIB's managing director.

Councillor Ferrer said the 2018 opening of the Formentera Data Observatory reflected an effort to pursue various visions, "not exclusively tourism-oriented, which can guide us in decision-making and help us continue on the path toward sustainability and a circular economy." Likewise, these data "also help us understand islanders' needs and how tourism impacts their quality of life."

Ferrer spoke about the importance of having and sharing data segregated by islands. To that end, the new tourism intelligence system will allow for both data sharing and data creation. Ferrer highlighted environmental issues that require continuous and updated data such as "the number of anchorages and maritime traffic on the coast, housing costs, the cost of living on the island, our carbon footprint and rising sea levels."

"Only with all this information will we be able to continue adopting measures as an island administration and also urge other competent authorities to implement strong actions to achieve the sustainable development goals for economic and environmental balance, which will have a direct impact on social welfare", she concluded.

For his part, Mr Mateu said that creating the framework to develop the Balearic Islands' intelligence system required "sitting down with roughly one public and private entities to find out what data they have and what data they need, because we will design the tourism intelligence system according to needs." The system is expected to be publicly available via an online platform by late 2024.

13 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

From Sunday to Tuesday, 12 to 14 February, the Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera will participate in Milan's International Tourism Fair, or BIT (Borsa Internazionale del Turismo). The first day of the expo, Formentera will be at a stand where it will showcase its charms directly to the general public. The other two days will be reserved for niche audiences like tour operators, media outlets and travel agents.

Formentera will promote its low-season offer to Italian travellers. The island will be shown as a sustainable destination where cultural, sports, heritage and fine-dining activities take shape in constant contact with nature. Other draws like nature trails (Rutes Verdes) and birdwatching circuits will be spotlighted as well, said Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor.

According to Ferrer, the island's participation in the travel expo is about "preserving a brand of traveller that has traditionally been loyal to Formentera, and drawing families and the type of visitor who respects the island's nature and traditions." Last summer, Italian travellers made up 28.01% of Formentera's visitors and were second only to their Spanish counterparts, who accounted for 39.28%.

10 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera