Sun&Blue Congress confirms its second edition and Almeria will once again be the destination for the event

Sun&Blue Congress, international congress of Tourism and Blue Economy, has said goodbye today to its first edition at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos 'Cabo de Gata - Ciudad de Almería'. The event promoted by beon. Worldwide and sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of Andalusia, the City of Almeria, the Provincial Council of Almeria and the Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of Andalusia, has been developed over three days with the participation of 169 speakers and over 900 attendees, 22 exhibitors and the holding of 36 round tables, 11 presentations and 4 plenary sessions. There was an outstanding presence of international speakers from Turkey, Malta, Georgia, Great Britain, USA, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as an expedition of the Cities of the Future Institute with members from Latin America (Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Chile). 

The organization confirms the celebration of a second edition, from 20 to 22 November 2024, where Almeria will host the congress again. And they anticipate that Sun&Blue Congress 2024 will host the first international meeting of beach and coastal managers and that they are working to bring to Sun&Blue Congress the international summit of the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) and an international meeting of the hand of WestMED. Sun&Blue Congress reaffirms its vocation to remain in time and its firm commitment to sustainable tourism.

Closing ceremony 

During the third and last day of celebration, the closing ceremony took place with the participation of Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, Minister of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Junta de Andalucía; Fernando Giménez Giménez, 2nd Vice President Deputy Delegate Area Presidency, Demographic Challenge, Historical Heritage and Tourism of Almería; and Mª Sacramento Sánchez, Deputy Mayor of the City of Almería.

Ramón Fernández-Pacheco showed his conviction that Sun&Blue Congress is called to be the most important event of sustainable blue tourism and innovation in Europe, "taking root in Almería", a destination that plays an important role in what is going to be the I Andalusian Strategy for Sustainable Economy. "Almeria has been able to adapt to an innovative tourism and that, increasingly, seeks sustainability. A model of sustainable blue tourism that represents 61% of the total tourism in Andalusia". In Andalusia, the GDP linked to the blue economy is over 11% and the number of jobs linked to it amounts to 122,285. In addition, the companies related to the blue economy are already more than 35,000. 

Fernandez-Pacheco announced during his speech that "we work" with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of Andalusia, in a pilot project in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park that pivots on the concept of sustainable tourism. "More than fifty actions that pivot on four axes: the green transition and sustainability, improving energy efficiency, digital transition and competitiveness," he said. It is an "ambitious" project that will have a governance model that will involve everyone: administrations, neighbors and companies.

For Diputación de Almería, this congress of Tourism and Blue Economy is "a great opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas and materialize them," said Fernando Giménez Giménez, making it possible for Almería to lead the blue economy and tourism. He also spoke of "institutional loyalty" where Junta de Andalucía, Diputación de Almería and Almería City Council have joined forces to support the development of Sun&Blue Congress and position Andalusia and Almería as a benchmark for sustainable tourism. 

The Almeria City Council assures that they will continue working to make Sun&Blue Congress a reference in economy and blue tourism at European level. María Sacramento Sánchez, deputy mayor, said that from the Ministry of Tourism are registering 10 Tourism Sustainability Plans in Destination worth 29 million euros, in addition to participating in the Great Cities Plan of the capital with a contribution of 1.2 million euros. "All these initiatives reinforce the image of Almeria as a destination committed to the preservation of the environment. We will continue working to make Almeria the focal point of this blue tourism."

A certified sustainable event 

Sun&Blue Congress has been certified as a 'Sustainable Event' by sufficiently meeting sustainability criteria and having passed the on-site assessment and audit process established by Eventsost, the leading sustainability certification for the international events industry, under the ISO 20121:2013 standard.

The commitment to sustainability has materialized in the production of the event with the use of LED lights, screens and other LED lighting units or low consumption devices; refurbished and renovated furniture; materials printed with UVI ink; eco-friendly carpeting; programmed conditioning for temperature and humidity comfort; local products; promotion of healthy food and beverages; single-use, reusable packaging; and zero plastics, zero emissions and zero waste policy. For all these reasons, the first edition of Sun&Blue Congress has been audited and certified as a CO2 neutral event, receiving the E-076-23 Eventsost seal.