The Confederation of Balearic Business Associations (CAEB) has expressed its concern with the regional government stating that it wants to study ways of limiting the number of tourists. CAEB says that the challenge does not lie with limiting numbers and that a goal of sustainability will not solve the problem of loss of income and welfare that the people of the Balearics have experienced over the past fifteen years.
"The success of a society is measured in terms of the prosperity of the citizens. Therefore, the key is to be able to generate more goods and services that meet the demands of the international market and which at the same time improve the quality of life of the population."
With regard to this, CAEB highlights the work of the Fundación Impulsa Balears, in which both the government and the private sector participate. The confederation praises it for its efforts in strategic information and regional interaction in order to bring about shared prosperity.
CAEB continues: "Sustainability is another factor in improving the competitiveness of the Balearic economy, but it is not a unique one." The confederation suggests that the potential of the Balearics to adopt a pattern of growth as one of the most advanced European regions could be squandered. It calls, therefore, for "inter-institutional dialogue" and for the Balearics to design and implement an economic strategy with consensus between the public and private sectors. "The productive transformation of our economy requires concrete actions to identify sectors in which we are and can be competitive in the future, to increase overall productivity, to innovate and focus on quality rather than quantity."
The confederation also stresses the need to develop proper management of infrastructures, such as water-treatment plants and main roads, as well as looking after beaches, transport and cleaning. It concludes that the Balearics need legal certainty and incentives to boost private investment. This, in turn, creates jobs and activates levers for competitiveness to ensure that wealth generated by the business sector translates into social welfare.