The Palma Port Centre brings together the leading figures in the Spanish boating and sailing sector with the celebration of the 20th Symposium on Marinas
The president of the Spanish State Ports Authority, Gustavo Santana, participates in the opening of a meeting focused on the future of marina facilities and port sustainability
Palma
28/05/2026- Transport and infrastructure
- Socio-economic development
The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) and Maritime Actions and Services (ASMAR) have today inaugurated the 20th Symposium on Marinas at the Palma Port Centre, the main national forum for reflection and debate on marina facilities in Spain. The meeting brings together institutional representatives, port authorities, legal experts, marina operators and companies in the boating and sailing sector for two days to analyse the main challenges and opportunities of this strategic activity for the blue economy and marine tourism.
The opening ceremony was attended by the president of the Spanish State Ports Authority, Gustavo Santana Hernández, along with the Secretary General of Air and Maritime Transport, Benito Núñez Quintanilla; the Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Juan Manuel Lafuente; as well as representatives of various port authorities and government agencies linked to the maritime and port sector.
With the slogan "The past guides us, the future drives us", this twentieth edition also coincides with the 40th anniversary of a congress that, since its creation in 1989, has established itself as the main space for the exchange of knowledge and strategic analysis of the marina and sailing club sector in Spain.
During the institutional opening, the president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority, Javier Sanz, highlighted the strategic role that marinas play today within the Spanish port system. “Marinas can no longer be understood solely as elements of infrastructure linked to leisure or tourism. "They are spaces of economic activity, innovation, sustainability, urban integration and community cohesion," he noted.
Sanz also defended the need to move towards management models based on collaboration and the modernisation of port infrastructure. “The great challenges we face demand dialogue, cooperation and a shared vision,” he stated, calling for “modern and responsible management of the port’s public domain.”
The president of the APB also highlighted the value of the Port Centre as a meeting forum between the port and the citizens. “This Port Centre symbolises the desire to bring the port closer to the public, to turn it into a space for knowledge, dialogue and dissemination, and to strengthen the link between port activity and the society it serves,” he emphasised.
For his part, Víctor Moreno, CEO and founding partner of ASMAR and director of the Symposium, pointed out that this twentieth edition “reflects the consolidation of an essential forum to share experiences, forge alliances and anticipate the challenges that will determine the future of marinas in Spain.”
Moreno also expressed his gratitude for the involvement of the Balearic Islands Port Authority and for Palma hosting this national meeting at a time of transformation for the sector. In this regard, he highlighted the role of the Balearic Islands as an international model for recreational boating and the APB's commitment to sustainability, innovation and port-city integration.
The Symposium’s programme will address issues such as environmental sustainability, digitalisation, new concession models, coastal protection, the port-city relationship, and the competitiveness of Spanish marinas in the international sphere over two days, through presentations and round tables with experts, institutional leaders, and professionals from the maritime-port sector.
