In the days ahead, the Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera will promote the island at ITB Berlin, which is held 7 to 9 March. Formentera will be present with a stand shared with the rest of the Balearic Islands, where promotional material will highlight activities involving nature, culture, gastronomy, sports and health that take place on the island in the low season. The sustainable side of projects like Save Posidonia Project and formentera.eco will also be also emphasised, as well as the importance of taking care of the environment.

Originally catering to the general public as well, the leading German tourism trade fair has changed its format and now focuses exclusively on professionals such as tour operators, travel agencies, niche media outlets and more. Today Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, presented the destination to representatives of the tourism industry and specialised sectors of the public.

Ferrer explained how early tourism on Formentera, despite bringing about improvements in residents' quality of life, represented a challenge to preserving the island and its identity. "Thanks to the efforts of many generations of Formentera residents, we have dealt with speculation and preserved the unique character of our island, and now face new threats that we must fight", said Ferrer. "To our visitors we ask that they come to the island with respect and a desire to discover our culture and people", she offered. To that end, attendees were shown a video entitled "Formentera, an island to take care of".

International Media Marketplace (IMM)
Yesterday Formentera also participated in Berlin's International Media Marketplace to promote the island among the large number of attending travel journalists. Both the IMM and ITB are geared toward a German-speaking public, which in addition to Germany, includes Switzerland and Austria. The number of Formentera's German visitors has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels; in 2022, 5.5% of the tourists who visited the island came from Germany.

"We do these actions to strengthen and recover the German public, a market that has traditionally been loyal to Formentera and one that tends to seek quiet destinations and give importance to environmental measures", concluded Ferrer.

7 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that Formentera will be present with its own stand at the Lisbon Travel Market (Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa, BTL) to be held between 1 and 5 March in Portugal. Other promotional activities are also being carried out in that country.

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, said Formentera has seen growing numbers of Portuguese tourists in recent years, "so we are committed to promoting the island with the possibilities it offers during the low season." In fact, according to the Formentera Data Observatory, 5% of the island's visitors were of this nationality in 2022.

Visitors at the travel expo will find promotional material highlighting activities on Formentera that can be done outside the high season, from sports, to cultural, heritage and culinary offerings, as well as activities in nature, bird-watching routes and opportunities to learn about local history and deeply-rooted island traditions.

At the same time, various campaigns are being reactivated with leading tour operators, targeting both domestic and Portuguese tourists. The island has also contracted advertising space in one of the country's most important travel magazines, "Wonder Go Travel Magazine".

28 February 2022
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that registration is are now open for the ninth Formentera Zen, which will unfold on the island on 28, 29 and 30 April. This wellness event is backed by the Consell de Formentera and organised by Puro Bienestar.

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, explained that "the scheduling of this year's Formentera Zen once again marks an effort to draw visitors in the pre-season", and said the event offered "the promise of healthy leisure to tourists and islanders alike." Moreover, Ferrer pointed out, "this year we have created a special event for families: Formentera Zen Kids & Families."

This day-long event will take place 1 May, a bank holiday, and admission is included in the Formentera Zen registration fee. Formentera and Eivissa residents enjoy a 50% discount on Formentera Zen registration. It will also be possible to register only for the family day, with Formentera residents also paying half price for that event.

Programme
The Formentera Zen programme has been designed with multidisciplinary sessions covering every dimension –physical, intellectual, environmental and social– of the human being. Participating professionals will include Alejandra Vallejo-Nágera (psychologist), Natalia Zubizarreta (interior designer), Sari Arponen (doctor of biomedical sciences), María Casado (expert in integrated wellness), Enric Sánchez (journalist and podcaster), Cristina Martínez (doctor of psychology), Esther Gómez (nurse and communicator), Miguel Trainer (personal trainer) and Cristina Boscá (radio presenter).

Formentera Zen 2023 will also feature yoga teacher from Hong Kong Alessandra Oram; artist, dancer and choreographer Vicky Gómez; pharmacist and nutritionist Amelia Plató, and nurse and sexologist Laura Cámara. All speakers at this year's event have more than one and a half million social media followers, among whom they share fundamental keys to wellness and living healthier and more balanced lives.

Formentera Zen Kids & Families
Among the new features of this year's Formentera Zen is Formentera Zen Kids & Families. On 1 May, there will be master classes, lectures and workshops on a variety of new topics related to the holistic (physical, mental and emotional) wellbeing of the family unit.

The day will feature creative and innovative activities tailored to promote wellness in families. Talks will focus on child psychology, nutrition, health and sleep. Top-level professionals will lead related activities in each field, offering tools to manage situations in the family environment.

The event will also include a variety of workshops to entertain and teach children. The main venue will be Gecko Hotel. Visit www.formenterazen.es to register.

25 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

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