Summer has now arrived and many will choose a holiday dedicated to relaxation and fun in the splendid setting of the lush nature of the Balearics.
However, this popular and sought-after destination is a true pioneer of tourism, including luxury, but in the name of sustainability.
“Law on Circularity and Sustainability in Tourism”, approved on May 31, 2022 by Parliament, the Spanish archipelago is the first sustainable destination “by law”.
The new rules for sustainable tourism
The funds of the Next Generation EU destined for this new green turn of tourism in the Balearics amount to 60 million euros, to which over 190 million will be added for interventions on infrastructures and roads.
The new tourism legislation of the Balearic Islands will be at the center of a mixed work team between the Balearic government and the Alpitour Group, through the dmc Jumbo Tours, the foundations of which were laid during a meeting in Milan with the leaders of the tour operator.
The four axes of the new sustainable tourism of the Balearics
There are four pillars of this new regulatory framework which provides for a concrete implementation of sustainable tourism in the archipelago.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY. New rules will be introduced that will be able to protect and make contracts for workers in the tourism and seasonal sector truly dignified and sustainable.
Also included in this axis is a general modernization of the rooms, with the obligation, for the accommodation facilities, to change the existing beds with elevating models, more comfortable to redo and useful for preventing occupational diseases of the attendants.
CIRCULARITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. Perhaps the most important directive. It is a question of introducing a circularity plan that can involve the virtuous management of consumption and waste.
The focal point of this pillar of the “new sustainable Balearic Islands” will be the replacement of oil-fired boilers – which produce over 57 tons of CO2 per year – with more sustainable alternatives.
LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY. Great attention will also be paid to respecting the quality of life of residents, as well as environmental and natural resources. From this principle derives the introduction of the tourist moratorium, which will block the increase in beds for four years.
The fourth axis cannot be forgotten: MODERNIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION aimed at creating a classification of hotels based on the concrete operations carried out in favor of the promotion of sustainable tourism.
