On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Confebus Summit 2023 was held at Palma's Palacio de Congresos. A conference at the national level, its principal objective was to consider the strategic role of buses and coaches within the mobility agenda. It attracted representatives from all sectors of the tourism industry, and while there was this strategic role to consider, there was also discussion of the specifics for this summer's tourism season in the Balearics and elsewhere in Spain. In this regard, a key conclusion was that transport problems are foreseen because of high tourist numbers and shortages of staff.
Joan Molas is the president of the Mesa del Turismo, an organisation of leading companies in the tourism industry. Referring to the coming season, he argued that there is "an excess of triumphalism which must be controlled". From June on, he said, "there will be very significant stresses in all holiday destinations and we will have to adapt to this". "The main problem that will have to be addressed will be the lack of staff."
There was a call for greater public-private collaboration, the Council of Mallorca's tourism councillor, Andreu Serra, observing that "we will have to know how to manage the success of this summer season".
Representatives from the likes of TUI and the national confederation of travel agency associations pointed to the high level of bookings. For Mallorca, indications are that 2023 will be a record year in terms of tourist numbers.