The conference “Lloret de Mar presides over the leading sun and beach destinations”, which was held today at the Lloret Theatre, was attended by some seventy participants, including political representatives from the region, members of the tourism sector and the general public. The event was attended by the Director General of Tourism of Catalonia, Ms. Cristina Lagé and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Ms. Rosario Sánchez.
This event marks the start of Lloret de Mar’s presidency, in the person of its mayor, Mr. Adrià Lamelas, of the Alliance of Leading Sun and Beach Tourism Municipalities (AMT), an association made up of the eight main tourist destinations in Spain: Adeje, Arona, Benidorm, Calvià, Salou, San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Maspalomas), Torremolinos and Lloret de Mar. These municipalities receive 20% of the overnight stays in the whole of Spain and generate 4% of the tourist jobs in Spain. The Mayor of Lloret, Adrià Lamelas, stressed in his welcome speech that “Lloret de Mar during this presidency maintains its desire to promote co-governance and work together for responsible tourism that guarantees the well-being of both its residents and visitors”. A challenge that he stressed is “key to the future of tourism, not only for the destinations in the alliance but also for tourism worldwide”. The programme continued with a keynote speech by Dr. Carles Torrecilla i Gumbau, Professor of Marketing Management at ESADE, who spoke about the need to build a value proposition for sun and beach destinations, integrating the visitor economy and the carbon, water and cultural footprint.
The round table under the title “Shared Challenges”, which has counted with the different authorities of the member municipalities of the AMT, has dealt with different strategic blocks such as tourism financing, co-governance, sustainability and digitalisation or the tourist-resident coexistence. The final presentation, given by Mr. Carlos Sintes, Senior Account Manager of Mabrian Technologies, dealt with the opportunities of Big Data and its analysis to contribute to the transformation of sun and beach tourism in Spain.
In the closing speeches, the Director General of Tourism of Catalonia, Cristina Lagé remarked that “The alliance between sun and beach destinations is a necessary collaboration for the growth of the sector. We have understood the importance of modernising tourism through smart and digital solutions. Tourism is participating in a very necessary process of adaptation to the new context that is living and transforming society”. And the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez has stressed that “The fundamental role played by the Alliance in building a common strategic agenda is key to positioning Spain as a global benchmark in sustainable tourism. This agenda must place people at the centre of actions, with responsibility and balance as fundamental values guiding tourism activity”.
