More than a hundred representatives from the business, publishing, cultural, tourist, and institutional worlds attend the presentation of Palma in New York.
Jaime Martínez Llabrés has delivered a destination presentation highlighting that "from the municipal government, we work on a model that positions our city as a reference from a comprehensive perspective." The presentation of the IV Festival Paco Lucía Mallorca and the performance of some of the artists included in the 2025 edition’s lineup have concluded the promotional activity of Palma in New York.
Palma, February 20, 2025 – More than a hundred representatives from the business, publishing, cultural, and tourist sectors, as well as institutional representatives from New York, including the director of the Turespaña office, Magí Castelltort, and representatives from the General Consulate of Spain in New York, the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain, and the director of the Cervantes Institute, Javier Valdivielso, attended the event organized by the Palma 365 Tourism Foundation.
The event included a round table, a working session, a destination presentation, and a performance by the artists who will perform at the IV Festival Paco Lucía Mallorca, which will take place in Palma next March. The event was held at the iconic Ángel Orensanz Foundation, a symbol of cultural excellence in NY.
Round Table
The event, chaired by the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez Llabrés, began with a round table discussion with the participation of the Turespaña director in NY, Magí Castelltort; Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s content president; Air Europa’s commercial delegate, Betty Lamas; MD W Communications’ director, Teresa Villareal, and the FTP365 manager, Pedro Homar. Hall from Lonely Planet highlighted the reasons why they chose Palma as the Best in Travel 2025 in their guide, emphasizing the city’s commitment to sustainable tourism, reinforcing its image as a responsible destination, and emphasizing the "commitment to cultural and gastronomic offerings," as well as a "great wealth of heritage with monuments that make it a unique destination." Lamas from Air Europa emphasized the good connectivity from the United States, with daily flights to Spain from Miami and New York, which undoubtedly "facilitates the possibility of traveling to Mallorca." United Airlines offers a direct flight from New York to Palma since last May and has extended its operation for one more month this year, until October. Both Magí Castelltort, Turespaña representative in NY, and FTP365 manager Pedro Homar, highlighted Palma’s offering throughout the year, establishing itself as a cosmopolitan, urban, and sustainable destination, with countless attractions for American tourists such as gastronomy and its rich historical and natural heritage.
Tradeshow
Subsequently, a networking session took place for an hour and a half where companies from Palma – HM Hotels, Meliá Hotels International, Aubamar, Summum Hotel Group, Grupo IT Mallorca, Son Marroig, Arabella, RCD Mallorca, Valparaíso, Hyatt, Hotel Nakar, Hotel Santa Clara, RCD Mallorca, as well as associations such as ASHPAMA and Essentially Mallorca – met with the most representative companies in the American tourism sector, such as Fodor’s Travel, Borello Travel & Tours, Altour, Travelsavers, Executive Global Tours, Tzell Travel Group, Cruise Planners, ANAM Travel, BHS Travel Forest Tours, JAC Travel International, Robb Report, The Independent, Wall Street Journal, among others. During the session, they had the opportunity to showcase the wide range of offerings that Palma can provide to visitors. It is worth noting that all of them showed great interest in the destination.
Destination Presentation
During his destination presentation, Mayor Jaime Martínez Llabrés emphasized that "Palma offers a unique experience for those seeking enrichment, not only during peak season but throughout the year." He continued by explaining that "the model we work on from the municipal government is to promote our city as a reference destination, always from a comprehensive perspective that values the visitor’s experience from different aspects: culture, gastronomy, heritage, sports, landscape, history, and of course, always from environmental sustainability and the preservation of the privileged natural environment that surrounds us." This comprehensive approach "provides a valuable opportunity to continue consolidating Palma as a dynamic destination whose appeal is not limited to specific months of the year," Martínez Llabrés said, emphasizing the broad and rich cultural offering being developed by the City Council and announcing Palma’s presentation as a candidate for European Capital of Culture in 2031.
To conclude, the Mayor, accompanied by the Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Culture, and Sports, Javier Bonet; the Area Coordinator, Fernando Gómez de la Cuesta, and the manager of the Palma 365 Tourism Foundation, Pedro Homar, thanked all the companies that traveled from Palma for attending the event and "those who made this meeting possible between two cities that, each with their own peculiarities and singularities, aspire to strengthen the numerous ties that bind them."
IV Festival Paco de Lucía Mallorca-Palma Flamenca Presentation
The event ended with the presentation of the IV Festival Paco de Lucía Mallorca, which will take place in Palma from March 8 to 14, featuring several artists from the festival’s lineup. The show started with Maria Hein, a rising artist who has received multiple awards, performing ‘La dama de Mallorca’ on piano and vocals. Subsequently, Andrés Barrios and Yiyo joined on piano and dance accompanied by Curro Conde Morente on the cajón, followed by Kiki Morente, Carlos de Jacoba, and Curro Conde Morente, who performed a selection of songs from their new album ‘Azabache,’ which they will present at the Paco de Lucía Festival; a performance that was well received by the attending audience.