The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that this week, from 24 to 26 March, Formentera will participate in two promotional fairs in Barcelona. The island will have its own stand at the B-Travel trade show for the end public at Fira de Montjuïc exhibition centre in Barcelona. Formentera will also have its own stand at the Mediterranean Diving Show for professional and amateur divers at Fira de Cornellà exhibition centre.

B-Travel, one of the largest events in Spain and designed for the end traveller public, brings together the main travel agencies, hotels, transport companies and tourism services companies. Said Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, "We will display promotional material highlighting activities on Formentera that can be done outside the high season, from sports and cultural, heritage and culinary offerings to activities in nature, bird-watching routes and opportunities to learn about local history and deeply-rooted island traditions."

Friday 24 March, Carlos Bernús, chief of marketing, will offer the presentation "Formentera, sustainable by nature" to representatives of niche press outlets at the expo. Visitors to Formentera's stand will be able to take virtual reality tours with 360º videos of local landmarks.

Diving fair
The Mediterranean Diving Show also takes place in Barcelona from 24 to 26 March. This is the oldest diving fair in the country and has become a benchmark for the diving world. In the words of Vice President Ferrer, "We could not miss this chance to highlight our attractive seabed and vastly diverse coastal dive sites". The fair is a meeting point for diving professionals and amateurs, not to mention travel agencies specialised in this sector. The Formentera Divers company will also attend and promote the great diving possibilities that Formentera offers as agreed in the island's strategic tourist segments. Mediterranean Diving Show visitors will also be able to experience our underwater world in 360º virtual reality.

Last summer Spanish travellers made up 39% of visiting tourists and constituted Formentera's largest market. At 33%, travellers from Catalonia were the most prevalent, followed by Valencia (17%) and Madrid (16%), according to data from the Formentera Data Observatory.

22 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera and commerce councillor, and Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and head of the Data Observatory, sat down with Pep Mayans, president of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses of Formentera (Pimef), Lidia Alvárez, Pimef manager, and Joan Mayans, of the food sector, to review data from a study run by the Formentera Data Observatory on the cost of basic groceries on the island.

According to this study, in October 2022 basic products on Formentera cost 18% more on than Eivissa and 22% more than on the mainland. Further, between January and October 2022, the local cost of these products rose 21%. In this sense, the heads of local government expressed their concern to the business representatives about the cost overrun borne by Formentera residents.

Apart from the cost of groceries, meeting participants discussed other issues like the rising cost of housing, restaurants and raw materials. The Consell has pledged to continue studying the real cost of living on Formentera and, together with businesses, to take forward and request compensatory measures to alleviate a situation which is twice compounded by insularity.

21 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera; Enrique Sánchez Navarrete, insular director of the State Administration on Eivissa and Formentera, and Rafael Ramírez, social welfare councillor, presented the once monthly service that the Immigration Office (Oficina de Extranjería) will offer from today on Formentera in a space provided by the Office of Social Welfare. The initiative is part of La Administracion cerca de ti, a project of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities.

According to President Juan, "collaboration between administrations is essential to facilitate digital handling of services. One example is Formentera's Office of Justice, which reduces travel, delivers a more agile and accessible service, and ultimately improves the quality of life of our citizens".

According to Mr Sánchez, "today we have started with the Immigration Office of the Island Directorate of the State, which in one day has served 11 people; for future visits, the intention is to include the Public State Employment Service (SEPE) and, based on the results and available resources, to add other services". Sánchez also underscored efforts currently afoot with the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) to offer DGT services on our island.

Sánchez framed the initiative on Formentera as "part of a national plan to make the administration more accessible and deliver a boost to e-Government". The Island Directorate of the State described the aim as "cementing periodic visits for assorted services, like the National Police offer for national IDs (DNI) and other services".

21 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Consell de Formentera will once again join Earth Hour's hour-long blackout scheduled Saturday 25 March from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. This action is a symbolic gesture to combat climate change, and the Consell will contribute by turning off the lights of the churches of Sant Ferran and Sant Francesc.

21 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera