News and press releases

The island, at low risk of contagion, is ready to lead the return of major international events

The Palau de Congressos de Palma receives from June 17 to 20 one of the first post-pandemic medical congresses in all of Europe

The Balearic Islands have done their job to make it easier for tourism, the archipelago's main industry, to reactivate safely as of this summer. The strict control in ports and airports, the adoption of exceptional measures to prevent and contain the pandemic and the progressive increase in the rate of vaccination have been key to controlling the spread of Covid-19, making the islands currently at low risk of contagions and become a "safe place". Bookings for the Balearic Islands have grown exponentially in recent weeks, demonstrating, once again, its leadership in the Mediterranean.

The new normal also shows the first “green shoots” for the reactivation of business tourism in Mallorca, where the Palau de Congressos de Palma has already prepared all its facilities to host the first major post-pandemic medical congress on the island and one of the first in Europe: the XXVII National Congress of General and Family Medicine, which is held in mid-June in a hybrid format, with an estimated face-to-face attendance of more than 1,000 people and another 4,000 virtually connected.

Not only the control of the pandemic on the island is key to holding an event of this magnitude, but also the coordination of the private sector to guarantee security throughout the tourism value chain, as well as the fact that the Medical community is precisely one of the most immunized groups. With these ingredients, congress tourism has found the safe formula to begin to gradually recover from this moment on, and although the impact of Covid-19 brought the world congress activity to a halt, the truth is that Mallorca has managed to maintain its appeal and, above all, the confidence of the MICE segment (Meetings, Incentives, Congresses & Events), as demonstrated by the more than 100 major events confirmed at the Palau de Congressos until 2023.

In addition to the efforts made by the Balearic government to keep the pandemic at bay, there are those made by the local tourism sector itself, which has known how to adapt and respond not only to the new health security standards, but also to customer expectations. Precisely the events sector is one of the most affected by the new consumption patterns and the response from the Palau de Congressos has been overwhelming. On the one hand, it has implemented the Stay Safe with Meliá program, certified worldwide by Bureau Veritas, with new processes and protocols that reinforce security measures and are supported by digitization and innovation. On the other hand, it has been prepared to respond to the new demand for hybrid events, offering a range of technological solutions to transform meetings and events into virtual and interactive formats, which allow the simultaneous connection of several venues, or of any individual, thanks to livestream technology. The success of the National Congress of General and Family Medicine will depend on all this, to which the entire MICE industry will turn in June to verify, in effect, the birth of a new era, in which Mallorca can be a clear protagonist.