Michael Collins notes
UNWTO, Mallorca, March 31st 2023, Sustainable Destinations Summit.
13.30-14.30. #sdsummit2023
Living and Promoting Sustainability

Panellists
• Ms. María Frontera, President of the Mallorca Hotels
Association (FEHM).
• Mr. Thomas Ellerbeck, Member of the Group
Executive Committee and Group Director Corporate &
External Affairs, TUI Group
• Mr. Miguel Sanz, Director-General, Turespaña, Spain
• Mr. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA, UK
(Association of British Travel Agents, now known as
the Travel Association)
• Mr. Andreu Serra, Island Minister of Tourism Mallorca

‘living & promoting sustainability’
(balance)
• In 2019 tourism supported 333 million
jobs, but the global tourism industry is
responsible for 11 per cent of GHG
emissions.
• Aviation represents 2% of global CO2
emissions.

Glasgow declaration
on climate action in tourism
‘halve emissions over the next decade (2030) and
reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible
before 2050’
Last week, IPCC, ‘thin ice, move to net zero by
2040. Wealthier countries should move faster,
Germany/Sweden (2045), Finland (2035)

Questions, Maria, Mark, Miguel, Andreu, Thomas.
1. Elephant in the room, we didn’t tackle this issue last year. Almost an
impossible issue to tackle. There is no right answer.
2. SAF.
3. A321neo XLR. 9% efficiency.
4. How can DMOs balance the needs of communities, visitors, businesses, and
the environment? Do more good than harm. Is that possible.

• Netherlands – new vision and approach to tourism, moving from promotion to
management and working closely with local destinations to benefit all Dutch
citizens.
• Slovenian – system of tools and support used at a national and local level,
leading example of a coordinated approach.
• Tourism Vancouver Island – new approach to destination management using a
social enterprise model to support businesses and work with communities to
deliver enhanced tourism experiences.

Questions, Maria, Mark, Miguel, Andreu, Thomas.
1. Education. Better job explaining. E.g. Petra Stusek, CEO, Ljubljana Tourism,
Slovenia. They took the time to explain in detail, with the community first.
2. Dates too far, not relatable. 2050, 2040, 2030.
3. Massimo Machiori, yesterday, only when the waterline is up to our neck. We
are lazy by nature.

Questions, Maria, Mark, Miguel, Andreu, Thomas.
1. Closing remarks from panellists.
2. Closing remarks, Michael Collins, sustainability, only specialist media and
governmental organisations, e.g. UNWTO, or tourist boards, Canary Islands,
speak about sustainability (Yaiza Castilla Herrera, Minister of Tourism, Jose
Juan Lorenzo Rodriguez, Executive Director). Not tour operators, travel agents,
airlines, hotels, attractions, when communication with mainstream media, e.g.
travel media, content creators, influencers. I wonder if next year we might
have 5-10 mainstream media here at the conference, then sustainability will
enter the mainstream, it will not be on the margins.

Questions, Maria, Norbert, Mark, Andreu.
Page 2.
1. The Vacationer. 87.32% of American adults say sustainable travel important/very
important. 4.65 percentage point increase from the same question in our 2021
2. 78.28% would pay more for a vacation to lower their carbon footprint. Only
71.37% said they would pay more in last year's survey.
3. 81.43% either think there are not enough sustainable travel options or simply do
not know if there are.
4. 19.43% use sustainable travel filters like "low emissions" when booking trips.
43.98% are not even aware they exist.
5. Question. Are we as an industry doing enough to inform the traveller. To
give them the choice/option.
6. F
7. Sdf

Questions, Maria, Norbert, Mark, Andreu.
Page 3.
1. Taxes or investment. Is taxing the customer the right way to raise funds?
She investment come from government.
2. What is the plan for 5 and 10 years from now?
3. Have we leaned any lessons from the pandemic?
4. Should destinations be allowed develop too fast, no infrastructure. E.g.
Iceland Air, my TBEX trip.
5. Is sustainability enough, do we need to step back, regenerate?
Sustainability implies we standstill. Status quo.
6. Carbon offset, too much demand, not enough supply. Therefore we invest,
we don’t tax. Invest in green energy.

Mallorca stats. Some context
1. Just under 12m visitors in 2019, down to 2m in 2020 and 5m in 2021.
2. 74% increase in population during the summer, Balaerics.
3. Tourism is 48% of the Balearic GDP (directly or indirectly) and 31.5% of
employment.
4. 2016: Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS). Balearic Islands.
5. Strategy: grow more in value than in volume. Since 2016, “a more sustainable,
competitive, responsible, and quality tourism”.
6. Council of Majorca. Plan of Intervention in Tourist Areas of Majorca, PIAT. 2018
to 2019 in,2020 into force. Majorca of 400,000 (300.000 in hotels and 100.000 in
holiday apartments) and a maximum density of tourists per hectare in urban and
rural areas. Besides, registered hotels must have a certain standard of energy
efficiency and a low water consumption.