The Govern’s spokesman, Iago Negueruela, defends the fact that the islands are now making “a true commitment” to sustainability, which will be expressed in the autonomous tourism standard.
“We’ve spent a year and a half talking entirely about covid,” and the Balearic Islands must brace themselves for “the debates to come” in 2022, which Minister Iago Negueruela refers to as a period of “transition.” The new regional tourist law’s text will be finished “in weeks.” His labor inspector impact is visible in the magnitude of the gains for the sector’s workers.
The industry, the competition… Everyone wants to read the small print.
It is already written and being worked on, beginning with the sectors. It is divided into two parts: the environmental part, which is based on circularity, and the social part, and progress is being made in both. We still need to meet the agreement’s deadlines. Then we must present the text, which will be presented to the Consell de Govern and the entire legislative procedure. The opposition parties will, of course, have their say, since it cannot be otherwise.
What time span are we discussing?
It is a significant reform, a shift in how we should approach our tourism strategy. Normatively, I believe we will have an agreed-upon text within the next few weeks.
You returned from Fitur pleased with the results, but there are those sectors that are furious because you went to Madrid to deliver the news. Is there harmony between you and your partners?
Everyone, I feel, has grasped the concept. We’ve spoken with our partners, and the presence of councilor Miquel Mir is critical. We are working well with him and Sebastià Sansó, general director of Residues, to explain a portion of the rule. We have only talked about covid for a year and a half, also at the tourism level, and we expect that there will be a transition this year; we must anticipate the arguments that will take place. Advances in sustainability have been demonstrated in recent years, and we are now making a genuine commitment. It was presented during Fitur to inform the world about how the tourism sector on the islands will fare in the post-pandemic era. It is an international showcase, and I believe we have accomplished it in a way that places the islands at the center of the debate about the future of tourism.
The law will be endowed with 55 million from the European funds. What are the sources of these items?
There are various. We have 100 million for Resilience for three years, and there will be items there, primarily to replace beds, with the first arrangement providing 20 million. We will make gradual calls over the years that monies are available so that more companies can join. We also include items for tourist sustainability provided by the Ministry, such as more than 47 million this year, 51 million next year, and so on up to 130 million. And there are still goods to be approved, totaling more than 55 million. Because of the Resilience item, our sector in the Balearic Islands will have more resources than other communities, which we will dedicate to actual transformation aids such as boiler replacement, beds, etc. This is what we feel will be critical in accelerating this shift over the next three years.
The employers’ association complains that the burden of the law falls disproportionately on hoteliers.
This is not entirely correct. It must be remembered that the sector’s primary weight is borne by them in terms of the number of beds and tourists who visit. This is not to say that steps should not be implemented in other industries; it does not make sense to change boilers just in hotels. We must examine each one individually; there are other environmental criteria that apply to the entire value chain. We’ve talked about the traceability of fish or seafood in the catering industry.
“The tourism business must modernize and embrace worker comfort.”
And what about the vacation rental industry? Gabriel Escarrer hinted that it would be beneficial if they were included in the commitments.
It is obvious, for example, with the diesel substitution initiatives. Then there will be others that are special to each sector, in order to provide a more level playing field for competition between the housing and hotel sectors.
The big hoteliers’ backing has been well-known. How are they going to win over the tiny ones, many of whom are in financial distress?
We have a similar foundation, and the sector is making significant strides in terms of circularity. We understand the circumstances from which we have emerged, and it is vital to set deadlines so that everyone can complete the task. A chambermaid now works in both a one-star and a five-star hotel, and injuries occur in both. It stands to reason that improvements in conditions should apply to the entire industry.
Many company leaders see that sustainability and circularity must occur in some islands, and that this transformation is obvious to them. And it must be homogeneous, as this is the only way for it to show itself as a round destination. We are the community with the highest wages in the hotel business and one of the few that do not outsource services, and we will now implement a measure specifically for female workers.
This is true of many hotels, not just the huge corporations. We already have medium-sized chains that do it, such as Garden with its circularity certification or Antoni Horrach, which is making incredible development. We have worked on beds with chains such as Meliá because we have been in contact with their Prevention Service for many years. People like Meliá’s Dr. Antonio Siquier have been measuring the efficiency of the measures and the reduction in absenteeism that they imply for years. Nobody can deny that they have an impact on people’s health.
Some of them drag out the amortization of key reforms, which is why they are concerned about knowing the dates.
Six years (for the beds) is a suitable time frame; we are currently closing the percentages for each year and will begin with the highest category. I spoke with numerous hoteliers, and some of them understood that this style of thinking was not fully internalized. They understand that ergonomic measures make sense after speaking with their preventative services and manufacturers. If reforms have been implemented, a transition must be made; however, it must also be acknowledged that when reforms are implemented, they must be for the benefit of both the client and the worker. We’re talking about the most powerful industry on the islands, which, like others, has to modernize. Maximum comfort for the client must coexist with maximum comfort for those who work in hotels. Better workplace health conditions must be added as a value.
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