The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzá, has made a "frankly good" assessment of the presence of the Govern at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, being able to "confirm that the change of course" of the tourism model "is shared and valued by the main operators in the international market".
Bauzá expressed himself in these terms during the plenary session of the Parlament this Tuesday, in response to a question from the Vox deputy, Javier Ripoll, who had asked him for an assessment of his participation in the latest edition of the London tourism fair.
"The assessment we make of our participation in the WTM is frankly positive. We went with the message that the Balearic Islands has left behind the idea that tourism success depends on the number of visitors. Our priority is to grow in value, contain volume, combat illegal offerings, and share tourism prosperity," the minister said, stressing the shift in the archipelago’s tourism strategy.
The head of Tourism added that, in the various meetings held with sector companies, he has been able to "confirm that the sector understands this direction and recognizes the need for a more balanced model" and he highlighted the good reception of this approach among the major international players.
Along these lines, Bauzá insisted that "it has allowed us to reaffirm that putting limits on growth does not mean giving up competitiveness but rather guaranteeing it over the long term," defending that containing the volume of visitors is compatible with profitable and sustainable tourism over time.
For his part, Vox deputy Javier Ripoll said that the change of the tourism model should not remain only in external promotion, but instead should focus on "turning the increase in value into prosperity" and ensuring "greater job stability beyond the summer months" for workers in the sector.
Ripoll also noted that "they have presented the culture to attract visitors, that’s fine, but now they have to explain how to convert promotion into activity, employment and opportunities," calling on the Govern to specify how this new tourism approach will be translated into the real economy and the labor market.