Benidorm, a benchmark in sustainable mobility management in a conference on the future of tourist destinations

The city of Benidorm and the sustainable mobility management promoted by the City Council in recent years were highlighted today during a conference organized in Madrid by the Alliance for Tourism Excellence (Exceltur). The city's mayor, Toni Pérez, participated in a roundtable discussion focused on this topic. There, the mayor explained some of the plans implemented by the City Council in recent years to promote more sustainable mobility among residents and tourists.

The SolyTUR conference, which took place this Thursday under the title "A new horizon for sun and beach destinations: responsibility and repositioning of their value proposition as competitive levers," brought together nearly 320 attendees in the Spanish capital, including prominent figures from the tourism and institutional sectors. Among them were Gabriel Escarrer, president of Exceltur and the Meliá hotel chain; executives from the country's leading tourism groups; Mayors from municipalities such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Adeje, Palma, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Torremolinos, Salou, and the President of the Ibiza Council; as well as the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez; and the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, who gave a talk on "Sustainability and the Future of Sun and Beach Destinations," immediately preceding Toni Pérez's participation in the forum.

The mayor of Benidorm presented Benidorm's success story in this field in a roundtable discussion entitled "Sustainable Mobility Management. " The discussion was moderated by Othman Ktiri, CEO and founder of OK Mobility Group, and also attended by Javier Díaz-Laviada, General Manager of Hertz Spain; Vicente Marí, President of the Ibiza Council; and Adolfo Utor, President of Balearia.

Toni Pérez detailed some of the measures implemented by the City Council to promote cleaner mobility. Among them, he recalled that Benidorm was already a "pioneer" in 1956, "when it drafted its first General Urban Development Plan, even before the Land Law existed," which exemplifies the importance that planning has always had in Benidorm.

Pérez emphasized that the very layout of the urban layout "means that life in Benidorm takes place on foot," noting that "73% of journeys are made on foot." He also indicated that in less than a decade, thanks to the implementation of various plans promoted at the municipal level, such as the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the Sustainable Urban Transport Plan, the Sustainable Parking Plan (PES), and the Universal Accessibility Plan, among others, Benidorm has added: "9.4 kilometres of pedestrian streets, not including parks and other public spaces; 134 kilometres of cycle paths and bike lanes; we have implemented reduced-speed models such as the 10-20-30 plan; and more than 8,000 free parking spaces have been made available to citizens and tourists in various areas, connected to the bus service." This is in addition to the Low Emission Zone, which will cover an area of ​​74 hectares and was already operating almost entirely de facto.

In the mayor's opinion, these measures are "viable alternatives" to the restrictions on private vehicles being considered in other destinations, since "sustainable tourism doesn't simply mean reducing the number of trips, but rather transforming mobility toward more efficient and sustainable models, as we are doing in Benidorm."

He also highlighted the existence of "significant challenges" to continue progressing toward sustainable travel. Among them, the mayor advocated improving intermodality, noting, for example, that Alicante-Elche Airport is "the only one of its size and capacity that lacks a rail connection, not even via a commuter train." He also called for a second runway at this terminal as a "strategic and priority" initiative.

"We act locally, but we think globally," he argued in his speech "We mustn't lower any measures, because sustainability in the country's brand is our most competitive asset globally today. Sustainability isn't about restrictions; it's about organizing, and managing, and it's about ensuring that everyone can enjoy a great industry" such as tourism.

Tourism Competitiveness Monitor
During this SolyTUR Conference, Exceltur presented the results of the Tourism Competitiveness Monitor for Spanish sun and beach destinations. This report places Benidorm as the country's fourth most competitive tourist destination due to its commitment to high-level business tourism offerings and improving public spaces, behind Adeje, Calviá, and Playa de Palma.

This study identifies governance and strategic management as the city's main strengths, with Benidorm ranking first in the pillars analyzed. These also include the maintenance and enhancement of the coast as a tourism product. product diversification and a commitment to recreational experiences; accessibility using transport; a focus on excellence in accommodation; the planning and constraints of public spaces; and unemployment and economic and social outcomes.

During the presentation of this study, Exceltur also warned that underfunding is stifling large tourist municipalities, noting that the 20 most visited tourist destinations in the country, including Benidorm, host 41.5% of travellers and 35.4% of hotels and tourist apartments, but lack the necessary resources to provide services to the millions of tourists who visit them each year. Specifically, this underfunding situation translates into public revenue per capita that is 20.9% lower than the average for Spanish municipalities, which, according to Óscar Perelli, Executive Vice President of Exceltur, is "one of the main factors that could affect their future competitiveness," an issue also addressed by Toni Pérez during his presentation. The mayor noted that, compared to Benidorm's just under 75,000 registered residents, "the city serves an average of 220,000 people daily."

For this reason, Exceltur has urged the minister to implement a plan to reposition sun and beach destinations through a strategic project called 'Coastal Tourism 2030,' which integrates cross-cutting policies for the regeneration of the Spanish coastline.