Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer, tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer and tourism advisory board chair Carlos Bernús will lead two presentations before Iceland audiences in an effort to sell travellers on Formentera. The demos will be staged in Reykjavik, at the conference hall of Foss hotel.

The first, for tourism trades and management of airlines like WOW and Icelandair, took place at 1.00pm. The representatives will then give a second demonstration at 4.00pm before members of the Icelandic press. President Ferrer called the move a response to Icelanders' recent interest in Formentera and the possibility of new direct flights to Eivissa from that country.

The prospect of developing the Icelandic market is particularly interesting, in Alejandra Ferrer's words, “because Iceland's travellers take holiday trips ahead of and after the high season. In winter the days are shorter here, and locals look for destinations with more hours of daylight, like Formentera”.

Presentations
Formentera representatives will focus on Formentera as an off-season destination spot, emphasising the island's cultural and sports programmes. Their talks will include promotional videos and the opportunity to take a virtual cycling tour of the island, based on a video with 360º footage. Another draw will be hotel Es Marès chef Juan Ramón Cobo's showcooking demo of typical island favourites like “amanida pagesa”. Visitors will also get the chance to try products like thyme, cheese, fig bread and red wine and check out some of Formentera's locally-produced fashions. The presentations had additional support from Turespaña.

Yesterday's meeting of Formentera's guild of associations, convened to discuss issues related to the environment, included the unveiling of a draft plan for local waste management. Representatives from 11 island groups were there to pick up their copies of the document, which they will review and possibly amend in the coming days.

According to CiF environment councillor Daisee Aguilera, the aim of the document, which was prepared by green consultants Geprecon, is both to “define the model Formentera uses for waste management” and “align it with European and national standards like cutting down on landfill use for biodegradable items and stepping up recycling”. The ultimate goal, in the words of the councillor, is to increase Formentera's sustainability.

The document calls for two treatment plants—one for “building and demolition materials, where construction firms and the Council will be allowed to reuse materials” and another “for organic compost,” envisioned as a fertiliser source for Formentera fields.

Under the plan, organic compost would first be collected directly from big producers like restaurants and hotels. By the second year, a dedicated treatment plant—and street-side collection bins—would allow for an expanded service, available to the general public.

Improvements and savings
Current figures put Formentera's recycling at three times the national average, though measures included in the document would take those trends even further. One suggestion at yesterday's gathering, said Aguilera, was to extend the push to do away with plastic bags: “Formentera was among the first to take aim at plastic bags at checkout areas. Now we're ready to do more.”

Councillor Aguilera expressed her hopes that the plan, which could be adopted before year-end, has the support of the people of Formentera. “At the end of the day,” she explained, “they've got the final say when it comes to improving our rubbish disposal practices”.