The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that registration is are now open for the ninth Formentera Zen, which will unfold on the island on 28, 29 and 30 April. This wellness event is backed by the Consell de Formentera and organised by Puro Bienestar.

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, explained that "the scheduling of this year's Formentera Zen once again marks an effort to draw visitors in the pre-season", and said the event offered "the promise of healthy leisure to tourists and islanders alike." Moreover, Ferrer pointed out, "this year we have created a special event for families: Formentera Zen Kids & Families."

This day-long event will take place 1 May, a bank holiday, and admission is included in the Formentera Zen registration fee. Formentera and Eivissa residents enjoy a 50% discount on Formentera Zen registration. It will also be possible to register only for the family day, with Formentera residents also paying half price for that event.

Programme
The Formentera Zen programme has been designed with multidisciplinary sessions covering every dimension –physical, intellectual, environmental and social– of the human being. Participating professionals will include Alejandra Vallejo-Nágera (psychologist), Natalia Zubizarreta (interior designer), Sari Arponen (doctor of biomedical sciences), María Casado (expert in integrated wellness), Enric Sánchez (journalist and podcaster), Cristina Martínez (doctor of psychology), Esther Gómez (nurse and communicator), Miguel Trainer (personal trainer) and Cristina Boscá (radio presenter).

Formentera Zen 2023 will also feature yoga teacher from Hong Kong Alessandra Oram; artist, dancer and choreographer Vicky Gómez; pharmacist and nutritionist Amelia Plató, and nurse and sexologist Laura Cámara. All speakers at this year's event have more than one and a half million social media followers, among whom they share fundamental keys to wellness and living healthier and more balanced lives.

Formentera Zen Kids & Families
Among the new features of this year's Formentera Zen is Formentera Zen Kids & Families. On 1 May, there will be master classes, lectures and workshops on a variety of new topics related to the holistic (physical, mental and emotional) wellbeing of the family unit.

The day will feature creative and innovative activities tailored to promote wellness in families. Talks will focus on child psychology, nutrition, health and sleep. Top-level professionals will lead related activities in each field, offering tools to manage situations in the family environment.

The event will also include a variety of workshops to entertain and teach children. The main venue will be Gecko Hotel. Visit www.formenterazen.es to register.

25 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Tourism of the Consell de Formentera reports that this week a sales mission will be run in Zurich, and next week another will take place in Geneva. Formentera's representatives will meet with travel agents specialised in the Swiss public to explain all the possibilities offered by the island in the low season.

"This allows us to attract Swiss tourists, who typically make long trips and feel comfortable with the spring-like climate that Formentera offers during the low season", explained Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor. Actions such as this one seek to boost the proportion of Swiss travellers, who accounted for 2% of Formentera's total visitors in 2022.

Promotional material will highlight the opportunities that Formentera provides travellers who are keen to practise sports or enjoy the cultural, heritage or culinary offer, as well as proposals to enjoy nature or go on birdwatching trails, while learning about local history and islanders' most deeply rooted traditions.

22 February 2023
Office of Communication
Council of Formentera

Alejandra Ferrer, vice president and tourism councillor, has participated in "Moving Towards Sustainability", a conference at the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca organised by the Economic and Social Council of the Balearic Islands. Ferrer, who is also head of the Formentera Data Observatory, took part in a round-table discussion titled "Carrying Capacity and Insularity" which was aimed at addressing issues affecting islands, insular territories and economic, social, environmental and demographic dynamics in the Balearic Islands. The event took place yesterday afternoon.

Ferrer explained efforts under way at the Formentera Data Observatory and data being collected there "are key to future decisions that will help highlight issues stemming from Formentera's twice compounded insularity, particularly around prices and the cost of living." The vice-president also stressed the importance of Formentera having its own services on the island, and if they cannot be provided, to compensate for the extra costs, as is the case of students who must pursue higher education off the island.

On the island's carrying capacity, Ferrer spoke about formentera.eco, a project to regulate in-bound vehicles, which she described as "an example of a measures that can be taken to regulate carrying capacity." "Now, this regulation should be extended to our coasts, which clearly have their carrying capacity exceeded", she insisted, "but only with collaboration from every level of government will the path to sustainability in the islands be real."

17 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today on Formentera, the Agency for Tourism Strategy of the Balearic Islands (AETIB) has presented efforts to define the underpinnings of a tourism intelligence system in the Balearic Islands. Alejandra Ferrer, vice-president and tourism councillor, offered opening remarks at the event, which also included members of the tourism sector and law enforcement agencies, as well as Francesc Mateu, AETIB's managing director.

Councillor Ferrer said the 2018 opening of the Formentera Data Observatory reflected an effort to pursue various visions, "not exclusively tourism-oriented, which can guide us in decision-making and help us continue on the path toward sustainability and a circular economy." Likewise, these data "also help us understand islanders' needs and how tourism impacts their quality of life."

Ferrer spoke about the importance of having and sharing data segregated by islands. To that end, the new tourism intelligence system will allow for both data sharing and data creation. Ferrer highlighted environmental issues that require continuous and updated data such as "the number of anchorages and maritime traffic on the coast, housing costs, the cost of living on the island, our carbon footprint and rising sea levels."

"Only with all this information will we be able to continue adopting measures as an island administration and also urge other competent authorities to implement strong actions to achieve the sustainable development goals for economic and environmental balance, which will have a direct impact on social welfare", she concluded.

For his part, Mr Mateu said that creating the framework to develop the Balearic Islands' intelligence system required "sitting down with roughly one public and private entities to find out what data they have and what data they need, because we will design the tourism intelligence system according to needs." The system is expected to be publicly available via an online platform by late 2024.

13 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera