The second and final day of the Summit of Sustainable Destinations held at the Zoëtry Mallorca Hotel in Llucmajor concluded with a presentation by the secretary of state for tourism, Mallorcan Rosario Sánchez.
She was full of praise for measures adopted in the Balearics. “Balearic legislation is an example for the rest.” This was legislation when her party, PSOE, was in power: “The sustainable tourism tax; the limitation on cruise ships; the posidonia decree, which provides oxygen and allows the waters to be transparent; the regulation of vehicles in Formentera; the fight against tourism of excesses.” Mallorca can lead tourism sustainability in the whole of Spain, she stated.
The importance of guaranteeing coexistence between residents and tourists was regularly referred to on Friday. Sánchez drew attention to the Turespaña survey of public opinion on matters such as overcrowding. “Tourism cannot be understood without the people who live in the destinations. Therefore, it is important to identify which aspects we must change and give better focus to public policies.”
The Council of Mallorca’s tourism councillor, José Marcial Rodríguez, said: “We have a policy of maximum respect for coexistence; it is our main purpose and mission. But we cannot make tourism an enemy, we must find the balance between the temporary resident and the permanent resident.”
During a panel discussion entitled ‘Speaking about sustainability from the heart‘, Susanna Sciacovelli, the Council’s director of tourism demand and hospitality, echoed Rodríguez’s words. “We have to find coexistence between the tourist and the resident. That is the objective we are working on.”
She explained that for markets such as Germany (Mallorca’s largest tourism market), it is no longer necessary to continue promoting tourism. “They already know us. What we must do is send a message of awareness. When they come to resorts such as Arenal or Magalluf, they must be taken care of as if they were at home.”
