World Tourism Day will be celebrated throughout the world on September 27. As a hotel chain in the Balearic Islands, Zafiro Hotels would like to take this opportunity to pay a small tribute to one of the industries in our economy that has the highest levels of growth and resilience.

An industry characterised by its complementarity and the synergies it has with other industries. "We are certain that the future inevitably involves us all joining forces and a firm commitment to the people who manage tourism and stimulate its growth”, says Antonia Plomer, CEO and owner of Zafiro Hotels.

Contents

1. World Tourism Day 2020: Tourism and rural development
2. Zafiro Hotels, spearheading the response to customer needs
3. For a future together

World Tourism Day 2020: Tourism and rural development

40 years have already gone by since the first ever World Tourism Day under the slogan Tourism and Rural Development. Although the tourism industry has represented a significant percentage of global GDP for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the importance of the industry at a social and economic level for both urban, coastal and rural areas.

Economic development, the creation of employment and the promotion of cultural and historical attractions are just some of the benefits that tourism can bring to help transform rural areas, while they also remind us of how tourism began in our own islands.

In actual fact, rural and inland areas have always been the most highly valued areas in Mallorca throughout its history. "It’s strange to think that the best inheritance that parents could pass down to their children was land in towns and villages in the interior. The land in coastal areas had no value because it were no good for agriculture, the main activity on the islands at that time”, recalls María Plomer, Financial Director and owner.

Zafiro Hotels, spearheading the response to customer needs

Listening to customers is definitely one of the key factors behind the development and improvement of tourism. "We understood that our customers were looking for something more than just a simple hotel room. They wanted an exclusive experience, and that’s how concepts like the Penthouse or Swim-Up Suites came about, spaces that offer truly impressive facilities”, explains Antoni Homar, Director of Sales at Zafiro Hotels. According to Antoni, quality dining options are also essential in luxury hotels, where guests expect to be surprised, and Zafiro achieves that thanks to the five restaurants in the resort, four of them with à la carte service.

Zafiro is a chain that also focuses on different customer profiles to carefully adjust products for each customer segment. For families, it is particularly important to ensure that the little ones never get bored, “our understanding of this need led to the creation of our splash pools with a pirate ship and slides, as well as the idea of a bubble pool, which is something that still makes us stand out above the competition today”, says Antoni.

“This focus on innovation has allowed our hotels to improve and adapt to the needs of our guests, a fact that is undoubtedly behind the growth and success of our hotel chain”, concludes Antoni.

For a future together

Given the complexity of the current situation, at Zafiro Hotels we understand that quality and safety will continue to be key factors in the reactivation of the industry. "Compliance with current regulations and legislation have always been essential for our activity, but now even more so due to the peace of mind it brings to guests,” says Dirk Robeyns, Director of Operations at Zafiro Hotels.

Tourism will one day recover, and at Zafiro Hotels we very much look forward to that time, a time in which teamwork, cooperation and synergies with other industries such as technology will play a significant role.