Sustainability is one of the great challenges that destinations face. With an increasingly aware traveller and many global challenges such as climate change destinations face a profound transformation.

Convinced that information and the exchange of good practices are a key tool to achieve the necessary transformation and consequently increased sustainability, the Fundació Mallorca Turisme of Consell de Mallorca,  in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will host a second edition of the Sustainable Destinations Summit: Leading de Transformation on 30th and 31th of March 2023 in Palma de Mallorca.

The Sustainable Destinations Summit seeks to provide a platform for tourism stakeholders where sharing knowledge and learning best practices in environmental, social, and economic sustainability will be in the centre. In addition, international media representatives, agents, and academics are invited to participate in the summit and visit the island, which has to offer a variety of initiatives and good practices in tourism sustainability.

The summit will bring together some of the most influential tourism leaders and institutions to outline the necessary transformation of the tourism sector by concrete examples and practices.

The 2-days summit will discuss subjects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Glasgow Declaration and will focus on five topics that are key for any sustainability discussion:

Our proposal is focused on 2 days of work based on themes aligned with the Glasgow agreement, the Sustainable Development Objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the UNWTO Plan of Action and the FMT Strategic Plan.

In this second edition we will have round tables where the speakers will discuss a specific topic and first-person interviews.

Round tables on:

• Renewing sustainable perspectives:
  • The indigenous perspective
  • The external perspective
  • The financial perspective
• Destinations: catalysts for sustainable and regenerative development
• Pre-competitive cooperation for sustainable actions
• Implementing circularity
• Nature data for management
• Governance models that reinforce sustainability
• Action frameworks driving transformation

First-person interviews:

• A society in transformation: learning from history
• Two generations, one perspective

The afternoon of 30th March and 1st April, the Fundació Mallorca Turisme  proposes a social program to visit some of the most outstanding sustainable initiatives that are being developed in Mallorca.

Friday, 31 March

• Mr. Iago Negueruela, Minister of Economic Model Tourism and Work Territory of the Balearic Islands
• Ms. Aurora Ribot, Minister of of Sustainability and Environment, Consell de Mallorca

Panel discussion 4: Nature-related data for management

Experiences by destinations with measurement and indicators, their comparability and usefulness are key for successful decision-making. However, the assessment of nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities is currently used to a lesser extent by the tourism sector, while other sectors have already started moving into the nature space.

Moderator:
Ms. Cordula Wohlmuther, Coordinator, Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO

• Mr. Jesús Maria Alquézar Sabadie, European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment
• Ms. Alexa Firmenich, Co-director of SEED, Crowther Lab at ETH Zürich
• Ms. Cecilia Hertz, Founder and Managing Director of Umbilical Design, Co-Founder of I.S.A.A.C. International Space Asset Acceleration Company, Sweden
• Dr. Sergio Guerreiro, Senior Director Knowledge Management and Innovation, Turismo de Portugal

Panel discussion 5: Governance models strengthening sustainability

Effective governance is an important prerequisite for the sustainable development of tourism destinations. Its effectiveness depends largely on inter-relation between the relevant actors in the sector, which are involved in shaping policies and decisions through participatory processes.

Moderator:
Dr. Dirk Glaesser, Director, Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO

• Mr. Juan Jose Alvarez Brunel, Guanajuato State’s Secretary of Tourism
• Ms. Gracen Chungath, Senior Vice President, Destination Development, Destination Canada
• Mr. Mathias Schattleitner, President Austrian Tourism Managers, Managing Director Schladming-Dachstein, Austria

Coffe break

Panel discussion 6: Action frameworks driving transformation

Action frameworks are needed to trigger and guide the necessary acceleration towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. They help to build the needed synergies and support the transformation process through pooled research, guidance and networking to be successful. Their catalytic function triggers impact on a larger scale, which is urgently needed to make the tourism sector more sustainable and resilient.

Moderator:
Ms. Virginia Fernández-Trapa, Coordinator, Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO

• Mr. José Juan Lorenzo Rodríguez, Executive Director, Turismo de Islas Canarias
• Mr. Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head, One Planet Network, UN Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), UN Environment Programme
• Ms. Samantha Kenny, Senior Program Officer, Food Waste, World Wildlife Fund
• Mr. Tono Franco, Managing Partner of globaldit, Spain
• Mr. Kees Jan, Head, Travel Sustainable Program, Booking.com
• Mr. Wassim Daoud, Head of Sustainability and CSR, PONANT

Two generations – One perspective

Moderator:
Ms. Maria Frontera, President of FEHM, Federación Empresarial Hotelera de Mallorca, Spain

• Ms. Sabina Fluxá Thienemann, Vice-Chairman & CEO, Iberostar Group
• Ms. Carmen Riu Güell, CEO,  RIU Hotels & Resorts chain

Living and promoting sustainability

How do destinations committed to sustainability, communicate and promote their attractions, products and services and strive towards a balance between marketing and storytelling? How do markets, operators and clients demand information and support. What have we learned from these responses to continue fostering sustainable and resilient destinations?

Moderator:
Mr. Michael Collins, Founder, Managing Director, TravelMEdia.ie

• Mr. Mark Tanzer, CEO, ABTA, UK
• Ms. María Frontera, President FEHM, Federación Empresarial Hotelera de Mallorca, Spain
• Mr. Miguel Sanz, Director-General, Turespaña, Spain
• Mr. Andreu Serra, Conseller de Turismo, Consell Insular Mallorca, Spain
• Mr. Thomas Ellerbeck, Member of the Group Executive Committee & Chief Sustainability Officer , of TUI Group

Closing

Ms. Isabel Oliver Sagreras, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sustainability, UNWTO
Ms. Rosa Ana Morillo Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Tourism, Spain
Ms. Catalina Cladera i Crespí, President of the Consell Mallorca, Spain