Mallorca Hosts 2024 Global INSTO Meeting and III Sustainable Destinations Summit

International

UN Tourism has brought together its International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories to explore actionable policy recommendations that drive sustainable practices across destinations.

Organized by the Fundació Mallorca Turisme (Consell de Mallorca) with the support of UN Tourism, the 2024 meeting of the Network (INSTO) was held alongside the III Sustainable Destinations Summit. Welcoming more than 100 participants, the events featured thought leaders, academics, government officials, and development practitioners to address key issues surrounding the advancement of sustainable tourism worldwide.

Topics discussed included the vital need to enhance governance between national and regional levels, as well as measuring the local impact of tourism through effective data management. Out of these discussions, delegates identified the best ways to forge actionable policies that drive sustainable practices across destinations.

Science-driven transformation

UN Tourism’s Executive Director, Ms. Zoritsa Urosevic, said: “As we are meeting at the backdrop of just adopted new metrics beyond GDP for measuring the Sustainability of Tourism by the UN Statistical Commission, let us collectively mainstream – as INSTO network- this new set of indicators, placing sciences at the heart of tourism transformation. Together, we are accelerating progress towards more responsible, accessible, and sustainable tourism destinations.”

José Marcial Rodríguez Díaz, Executive Counsellor for Tourism of Consell de Mallorca, highlighted the efforts being made by his Department "to promote real coexistence between residents and tourists, encouraging responsible tourism among all visitors and within a framework of sustainable development of tourist activity:

“From day one, at the Consell de Mallorca we have been committed to the maximum respect for coexistence; this is our main purpose and mission. For all these reasons, we cannot make the wrong enemy in tourism. We must find the balance between the temporary resident and the permanent resident; between feeling visited and not invaded".

Launched in 2004, the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) aims to foster continuous improvement in sustainability and resilience within the tourism sector. Through systematic monitoring of tourism performance, INSTO connects dedicated destinations, enabling the exchange of knowledge and best practices for responsible tourism management.

Today, INSTO numbers 45 members from the Americas, Asia & the Pacific, and Europe, with exciting new additions from observatories in Colombia and Austria.