The Consell de Mallorca, through the Fundació Mallorca Turisme, has been the host of the Night of Tourism 2022, an event in which the Tourism awards granted by the Government of the Balearic Islands are presented. These awards are intended to recognise actions in favour of tourism in different aspects: people, companies and institutions, both public and private. They are also recognitions that seek to serve as an instrument to stimulate professional behaviour and initiatives that contribute to improving the image of tourism. of the Balearic Islands and their tourist services.
The event, held on Tuesday 27 September coinciding with World Tourism Day, brought together 200 guests in one of the most emblematic buildings in the city of Palma and headquarters of the island's Tourism Department : La Misericordia. The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, was in charge of opening the gala with a few words in which she highlighted the importance of consolidating the island as a truly sustainable destination. “The motto of Tourism Day 2022 is Rethinking tourism . A very timely reflection that should allow us to go further. We must make a transition towards a model that protects natural and heritage resources even more. A model that accelerates the transition of the sector towards an activity without CO₂ emissions, energy efficiency and the circular economy in companies and destinations. We have to continue promoting the digital transformation of the sector and its companies. And we have to continue promoting a fairer distribution of the benefits of tourism for companies and workers, protecting conciliation and prioritizing gender equality. In short, it is essential that we take a more decisive step in researching quality over volume,” said Cladera.
In charge of closing the event It was the president of the Balearic Islands Government, Francina Armengol, who declared that tourism must commit to sustainability and circularity policies, "increase the quality of tourist establishments with water saving measures, stop depending on global markets to put the best products from the Balearic Islands on the tables.” Armengol also conveyed the Balearic Islands Government's "firm commitment" to the tourism sector, by investing its own resources, state resources and those of the European Union to be "stronger and more solid".
The event was also attended by the Minister of Transition, Tourism i Sports of the Consell de Mallorca, Andreu Serra; the president of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands, Vicenç Thomàs; the regional minister for Economic Model, Tourism and Employment of the Government, Iago Negueruela; the regional minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Government, Mae de La Concha; the regional minister for the Presidency, Public Service and Equality, Mercedes Garrido; and the regional minister for Mobility and Housing, Josep Marí.
Award winners
Designer K de Kose Kose won the award for tourism innovation. The best social responsibility initiative went to Villa Le Blanc, the first carbon-neutral hotel in Menorca. The project, Fem que circuli, by the Fundació Deixalles won the award for best practices in terms of tourism employment. And in terms of equality, the award went to Espardenyes Torres for promoting the employment of women by producing a 100% artisanal product such as the Ibizan “espardenyes”.
There were two awards for workers in the tourism sector: one for Manuel García Arenas, legal representative of CCOO for the staff of the Hotel Meliá Palma Marina, for his work in improving working conditions; and the other award in this category went to Cecilia Brizuela Mosquera, president of the company committee of the Hotel Gran Meliá Victoria as a reference within trade union action.
Another double award was in the category for the best circular tourism initiative. On the one hand, the Iberostar Group with the project “Agenda 2030: Iberostar's transition towards a circular economy” and on the other, Cas Majoral, which is committed to KM0 agricultural exploitation and the use of waste.
In the category for work, effort and professional dedication in tourism, the awards went to the Erhart family of Universal Beach Hotels and to Juan Riera Ripoll of Ca n'Alfredo.
Illa dels Trails Menorca won the award for the tourist experience with 5 trail races that follow the route of the Camí de Cavalls de Menorca, providing a great tourist attraction for the island.
As ambassador of the Balearic Islands, the award went to the president and owner of the Arabella Group, Alexandra Schorghuber. The cyclist and athlete Mavi García was also recognised.