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

The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera has reached an agreement with Mastercard for segmented data on digital purchases made by Formentera's visitors using the company's cards in 2022. The data, which are completely anonymous, will be compared with those of 2019, before the pandemic.

In the words of Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, "It will give us an objective sense of our tourists' preferences, their patterns and places of consumption, to understand their real daily spending and extract other interesting data on the cost of local goods and services for the Formentera Data Observatory."

Currently Mastercard offers data on international tourists, who use this type of card the most. The Office of Tourism is already working on reaching similar agreements with VISA and expanding information to the national public.

Spending
According to data from the tourist satisfaction barometer, average daily spending in summer 2022 was roughly €98, similar to the previous year. Data from Ibestat, meanwhile, indicate a daily spending level in the Pine Islands of €173.

Ferrer pointed out that the new data from Mastercard mean "the Observatory will have a picture that is objective – unlike data from surveys, which always depend on the questions asked and respondents' short-term recall." She added, "Through analysis we will be able to compare and improve these data and enrich our understanding of how a significant swath of visitors spend money and what they prefer." In the coming months this information will be shared with the sector and published on the Formentera Data Observatory website.

26 January 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Today the gastronomic gala Madrid Fusión started and will continue at the Ifema fairgrounds until Wednesday 25 January. Formentera's representatives at the fair will promote the island's produce and gastronomy, hometown restaurateurs will lead cooking demonstrations and offer tastings of local products.

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, who is also on hand at the expo, spoke highly of the first day of opening: "It offered us a picture of how many people are interested in our destination and our cuisine and local produce." She applauded the participation of restaurateurs and producers "to help us promote our gastronomy at one of Spain's biggest expos and where it is clear that not only is this an added value and an attraction for our visitors, but also a reinforcement of our uniqueness and identity."

Own stand
Formentera has a stand with information about the destination, with a special focus on gastronomy. There will also be information on "From Formentera with loads of flavour", a campaign backed by the Formentera Office of Rural Affairs to elevate and promote local produce, as well as the Formentera Slow Food map, which pinpoints growers and distributors of locally sourced products, and the book "Sabors de Formentera". There will also be a section where videos are shown, as well as tables and chairs where the island's team can hold interviews with travel agents and members of the press and highlight featured products to the direct public.

Cooking demonstrations and tastings of local produce
On Monday and Tuesday (23/24 January), under the slogan "Formentera per menjar-se-la" (Formentera, finger-licking good), the restaurants Can Pasqual, Tanga, Capri, Capritxos and Quimera will offer live cooking demos pairing traditional fare, locally sourced products and innovative modern touches. There will also be tastings of local products like wine (the Terramoll and Es Cap wineries), olive oil (Sa Tanca des Clot), bread (Can Manolo), dried fish (Peix Sec Formentera), sobrassada (Carnicería San Francisco) and liquid salt (Salines de Formentera). Students in IES Marc Ferrer's hospitality programme will help serve culinary creations and local products, as well as talk to visitors about the stories behind them.

23 January 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera