The summit was officially opened by the president of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, who stressed the need to explore a series of measures to address alcohol abuse stating, “this is a global issue which does not just impact the travel & tourism industry.”
The summit welcomed key UK organisations such as ABTA, Thomas Cook, The British Consulate, The UK Retail Forum, the Alcohol Policy Youth Network, as well as airport, police and university representatives who came together to share ideas with global organisations about the impact of antisocial tourism behaviour.
The Balearic Islands Minister of Health, Patricia Gómez, highlighted both the economic and social consequences of alcohol abuse, stating how the costs can be long-term and life-changing. She reflected on the need for a preventative strategy that requires collaboration from all levels of society including private, public and administrative bodies.
Key issues that were debated in the round-table discussions included antisocial behaviour on flights caused by alcohol abuse and irresponsible behaviour in clubs, key leisure areas and hotels.
As well as discussion and debate, the objective of this summit was to discuss measures and solutions to address these key issues. The results of the debates, round-tables, questionnaires and panels will be presented via key administrative bodies including the Spanish government, the European Commission and the Regional Committee.
The summit was organised by the Balearic Islands authorities including the Ministry of Health and Tourism Strategy Agency (AETIB), in collaboration with NGOs; Eurocare and Irefrea.
