Destino21, the first national congress on Tourism and Journalism, starts in Benidorm

Two hundred and ten tourism and journalism professionals have been following the sessions of the first National Congress of Tourism and Journalism, Destino 21, which is held in the Assembly Hall of the Benidorm City Council and which inaugurated the interventions of the Autonomous Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, the executive director of the Costa Blanca Board of Trustees, José Mancebo, and the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez.
Pérez greeted those attending the congress, in person and through the congress website, and highlighted the trust and complicity with the Media they have always shown towards Benidorm, while highlighting the changes that time has brought about in both sectors.
He highlighted the power of tourism - "the first economic activity in Spain" - noting that it "exceeds other sectors in economic levels" and that, the mayor of Benidorm insisted, "tourism deserves a greater role through the media to gain perception real in society ”. Based on this, he indicated, "to reveal the social and business strength of tourism through the Media is a goal" proposed by this first congress, claiming "the pedagogy that the journalist contributes to communication."
Pérez insisted on "the value of communication" and on "Tourism's trust in journalists", noting that the congress, which begins with a continuing vocation ", proposes" a joint reflection on the future of both sectors ", assuming as task and responsibility "to promote an alliance of synergies and information transmission channels." There is, he acknowledged, at the moment “a lot of uncertainty, but the challenge is to face it”.
Pérez declared "the perpetual vocation of learning" that a Benidorm maintains "that always wants to know more and get the most out of knowledge" and maintains its alliance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda and the five axes of the Smart Tourist Destination , of which he was the first to be certified, in innovation, sustainability, accessibility, technology and governance, "trusting the Academy, for its research and perspectives, and the Media, for its projection and impact."
Tourism, he concluded, is "person-to-person interaction and working for people's happiness."
The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Francesc Colomer, after once again expressing “his affection for Benidorm” pointed out that one of its strengths is “faith in tourism, in people and in caring for others”, a hospitality strategy that , he said, "is the foundation of tourism."
Colomer asked "to overcome the economic narrative that despises tourism" and to position it in communication strategies towards society.
José Mancebo, from the Costa Blanca Board of Trustees, appealed to the general media to "develop a complete vision of the sector" highlighting that "Tourism is a sector of sectors, the economic tractor of many others", asking for explicit support.
This congress day is followed by fifty people registered from the Benidorm City Hall Assembly Hall and 170 through the web.
Javier García Antón, host of the event and presenter of the tables, has reported, prior to the beginning of the tables, speakers and moderators, that since the organization of the congress the Carbon Footprint of the congress displacements has been calculated, settling at 60,000 kilos that Benidorm City Council, García announced, will compensate with the immediate “planting of a hundred trees” to offset this impact, highlighting that it is the active contribution to sustainability, one of the strengths of the Benidorm tourist destination.