On March 30 and 31, Palma was the host of the Summit of Sustainable Destinations. This is an important event in tourism, as solutions need to be found around the world, in order to make this industry more ecologically viable. Here is what you need to know about the event which took place at the Palacio de Congresos de Palma.

More Activities that lead to Sustainable Tourism
We all know that flying from one destination to another is not the best way to promote a better environment. However, keeping this in mind, everyone in the tourism industry can do its part to create more sustainable destinations. That is the goal of such a summit, as it unites leading organisations and companies in the field, in order to find new solutions.

It has to be said that Majorca was a great choice in itself, as it does feature important initiatives and companies that are working to make this destination an environmentally friendly one. For example, that is the case with Rompelberg Cycling Holidays which offers Mallorca bike hire to tourists during their stay on the islands. Everyone can find a bike to their liking, whether it is for racing or to head through the mountains. That is precisely the kind of initiative that can make tourism an industry that is more in-tune with nature, by promoting natural ways to get from one point to another.

Who were the Hosts of the Event?
The President of Consell de Majorca, Catalina Cladera, was the one who opened the event, by welcoming all the participants at the Palacio de Congresos. She was joined by Isabel Oliver from the Office of the UNWTO Secretary-General and also José Hila, the Mayor of Palma who was proud to have his city in such a prominent position regarding sustainable destinations. At the end of the event, members of the Spanish government as well as the Balearic Islands were also present, showing just how important the country and its regions believe this summit was.

What did They have to say?
For Catalina Caldera, the city of Palma can be considered the capital of sustainable tourism. She insisted on how Majorca had implemented laws in waste management that regards tourism, making it a leader in the field. She also said that this was only the beginning, and that the islands were meant to lead the way in sustainable tourism for years to come.

As for Isabel Oliver of the UNWTO, she clearly agreed with her colleague. She insisted on the fact that Majorca was a benchmark for other touristic destinations. She mentioned that entrepreneurs and government representatives from the area were both innovative and very professional, when it came to taking actions and making decisions in the field of sustainable tourism.

As for the Mayor of Palma, he recalled the approval of the “Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan” that happened a short time ago. He said that improving tourism had to go along hand-in-hand with creating a better quality of life for the residents of the island. He also mentioned that everyone needed to do their part, if this was to be a successful endeavour worldwide, including companies involved in the sector, as well as public administrations. He went on to include citizens, saying that a sustainable destination starts with the people who reside on location.

What about the Experts?
The summit did not include only public figures. Many of the participants came from the private sectors and were experts in their field. Who better to understand the importance of sustainability than the hotel industry. Sandra Benbenisten Director of Sustainability of EMEA-Iberostar Hotels, also discussed waste management when it was her turn to speak. So did Miguel González San Roman, Director of Business Development at Minsait/Indra, a company that promotes the transformation of business and society through innovative solutions and services, based in Spain.

Americans were also present, including Nina Belluci Butler, CEO of Stina. The company that she leads is a specialist in circular economy, which made her an important guest, especially as
the forum focused on the subject. She was joined in the discussion by Andy Schroeder, co-founder of an ocean plastic recovery project, who is another leading expert in this field.

The Event also held a Hackathon
During the two days of the Summit of Sustainable Destinations, at the Palacios de Congresos, was also held another event: A hackathon on commitment to sustainability. A hackathon is a meeting of people specialized in a given field, engaging in rapid and collaborative engineering over a period of a day or two. In this case, professionals, students, as well as researchers were invited to find solutions on the issue of sustainability. The three items discussed were water, food and mobility. Each category was awarded a winner (best idea) and the group was provided with 5,000 euros, which was meant to be divided between the team members.