The Balearic Islands take part in FITUR with culture as the central pillar of their tourism strategy

The Balearic Islands will take part in the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), held in Madrid from 21 to 25 January. The aim is to position the islands’ cultural offer as a key attraction to draw domestic tourism during the low season and thus help reduce seasonality at the destination.

The Tourism Strategy Agency (AETIB) has been responsible for coordinating the entire participation in the fair. At this event, the Balearic Islands will have a fully accessible stand covering more than 1,000 m², financed with funds from the European Union’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan – Next Generation.

This is the same stand that was inaugurated last year, a design inspired by water and the care of our natural resources. With a strong commitment to sustainability—both in its materials and throughout the construction process—the stand also aims to be a functional and useful space for all fair-related activity taking place there. To that end, different dedicated areas have been set up for each island—Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera—along with a large central agora that serves as a meeting point.

There are also meeting rooms and spaces, a presentation room, a press room, and even a specific area for activities related to gastronomy and local products.

Alongside each island, the Balearic Islands’ stand at FITUR will host 12 local councils from Mallorca and all of Menorca’s councils, as well as a total of 14 private co-exhibitors (Roig Mobility & Experiences, Menorca Lines, Europlayas, Timón Hotel, My Transfers, Eulen, CityXperience, Zafiro Hotels, Garden Hotels & Resorts, Mistertransfer, Fergus Group, K10 Mobility, Bookingcore and Sporting Group Anomación). There will also be five radio booths from which different local stations will broadcast live programming during these days.

To ensure that the tourism sector attending the fair can hold work meetings in an organised way, AETIB has enabled a table-reservation system at the stand. This system has been communicated in advance to tourism companies so they can use it to arrange their appointments.

Culture

The Government, through the Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics (IEB), and within the framework of FITUR, will also hold an institutional event at the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE). Its central focus will be the presentation of the agreement signed weeks ago with the Pro-RAE Foundation, which will allow the Balearic Islands to regain their position on the institution’s Board of Trustees.

Likewise, the Government will pay tribute at this event to Antonio Maura, on the centenary of his death, and the highlight of the afternoon will be a piano concert by Marco Mezquida in the Academy’s emblematic assembly hall.

Gastronomy and tourism

In addition, for the second consecutive year, within the Balearic Islands’ stand and under the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, there will be a food-and-wine space devoted to promoting local products as a cornerstone of tourism promotion. Workshops and tastings of local products will be held there, led by different island chefs, by prior reservation, with the aim of promoting local produce and highlighting the Balearic Islands’ PDOs and PGIs.

A total of 23 showcookings will be held, each dedicated to a different local product. The chefs will prepare a dish that will be tasted paired with a local wine. Each day is devoted to a different island: 21 January will be dedicated to Mallorca; 22 to Menorca; 23 to Ibiza and Formentera; and 24 and 25 to Mallorca. The chefs leading the tastings will be Óscar Molina (Ibiza and Formentera), Patrick James (Menorca), and Javier Hoebeeck, Ariadna Salvador and David Moreno (Mallorca). The paired wines will be from the PGIs of Ibiza, Formentera, Menorca and Mallorca, as well as the Binissalem PDO.

As part of the fair, there will also be a presentation of Sabors de la Badia, a fair co-organised by the Pollença Town Council and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, which will hold its second edition in May 2026 and will focus its gastronomic offer on Mallorca’s bluefin tuna and local wines.

On behalf of the Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle, Ports de les Illes Balears (PortsIB) is taking part once again in the International Fair, where it will showcase the main lines of work and projects that shape the present and future of the Balearic port system, with special attention to infrastructure modernisation and sustainability. PortsIB is present at stand B08, located in the Balearic Government area, in Hall 7, with the attendance of minister Juan Manuel Lafuente; the Director General for Ports and Maritime Transport, Toni Mercant; and the PortsIB manager, Kiko Villalonga.

Activities at the stand

During the fair days, different presentations and activities will take place at the Balearic Islands’ stand.

On Wednesday 21 January at 11.00 a.m., there will be a presentation on “Technology transforming tourism: the Turistec ecosystem”, led by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà.

At 12.30 p.m., the President of the Government, Margalida Prohens, and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà, will present to the media “Culture as a key to reducing seasonality”.

At 2.00 p.m., there will be a round table with Airbnb on “Quality tourism and sustainability”.

And at 3.30 p.m., the Minister of Economy, Finance and Innovation, Antoni Costa, will present the 2025 tourism outlook report and the 2026 forecasts.

In addition, on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 January, presentations will be given by the Island Councils of Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera, as well as by different municipalities in the islands, which will present their main tourism highlights for 2026.

During the weekend—days when the general public can access the fair—various activities are scheduled, such as painting workshops and gastronomic tastings in the Ministry of Agriculture’s space, among others.

With their participation in FITUR, the Balearic Islands strengthen their image in the Spanish market as a destination committed to culture and sustainability, while also highlighting the richness and authenticity of their local products.