Balearic Government inaugurates the First Tourism, Enogastronomy and Local Product Conference to strengthen links between the countryside and tourism in the Balearic Islands

This morning, the Son Mir estate (Palma) hosted the opening of the First Tourism, Enogastronomy and Local Product Conference, a new initiative jointly promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the farming sector and the tourism sector in the Balearic Islands.

The opening ceremony was chaired by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, and attended by the Director General for Tourism, Miquel Rosselló, and the Director of AETIB, Pere Joan Planas.

These conferences, held on 26 and 27 November, form part of the Enogastronomy Plan of the Balearic Islands, developed by AETIB and funded with Next Generation resources. They bring together producers, tourism businesses, chefs, restaurateurs and cooperatives from all the islands with the aim of creating synergies that foster more authentic, diversified and sustainable tourism.

In his opening speech, Minister Simonet underlined the crucial role of the primary sector in the tourism competitiveness of the Balearic Islands. “Cooperation between the farming sector and the tourism sector is essential. We must not forget that many of our visitors choose to come to the islands precisely because of the land and the landscape that our farmers and livestock breeders preserve. With these conferences we are taking a step further: we are connecting not only what they see, but also what they can taste.”

In this regard, Simonet pointed out that “tourism is increasingly seeking experiences linked to the territory, and local products are a key element. We have the advantage of offering products that are unique in the world —native varieties of grapes, vegetables or olive trees— that cannot be found anywhere else. A wine made from the montenegro grape variety or a cheese from the Menorcan red cow can only be tasted here. This added value must help us reach a consumer who contributes directly to the maintenance of the landscape, the territory and the agriculture of the islands.”

The conference programme includes lectures, round tables, workshops and a space for direct contact between producers and tourism establishments, with the aim of facilitating the incorporation of local products into the gastronomic value chain of the Balearic Islands.

With this first edition, the Balearic Government reaffirms its commitment to the promotion of local, proximity products as a strategic element of tourism differentiation, and to strengthening the primary sector as a guarantor of sustainability, quality and the identity of the Balearic territory.