José Hila with Isabel Vidal and Javier Vich at the Fitur fair. | Juan Luis Ruiz Collado

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Following a successful pilot project in July and August last year, Palma town hall now hopes that its "Welcome Palma" app will reduce tourist overcrowding in the city centre by 40%.

The app, which was trialled for cruise ship passengers, will this year be for the whole city. Speaking at the Fitur fair, Mayor Hila explained that there was an eleven per cent reduction in "saturation" in the centre of Palma during the period of the pilot project.

The app can provide "an effective solution" to the problems of saturation and will channel flows of tourists. The mayor added that it will "reduce tourist crowding in the main saturation points and improve coexistence".

Referring to a town hall plan for tourism sustainability and quality, José Hila stated that this will reduce CO2 emissions, create new pedestrian areas, increase the use of electric vehicles and the number of green areas, and promote the use of public transport.

The presidents of the Playa de Palma and Palma-Cala Major hoteliers associations, Isabel Vidal and Javier Vich, voiced their support for the town hall's initiatives. The objective is that Palma becomes a sustainable city both economically and environmentally. The mayor can count on the private sector's backing for improving tourism and urban quality.