##Exclusive ’24/7 Valencia’ report. The shipping company Baleària has been recognized by the Spanish Federation of Large Families in the framework of ‘Feria Internacional de Turismo’ a.k.a. FITUR.

The company also held a meeting with associations of specialized travel bloggers.

This week, at the stand at FITUR 2021, Baleària received the ‘Family Tourism Seal of Approval’ from the Spanish Federation of Large Families, a distinction that recognizes services or establishments that cater to the family.

José Manuel Trigo, president of the Federation, was in charge of presenting the award to Jorge Raheb, head of Sales Strategies at Baleària, who expressed his gratitude for the recognition and assured: “We will continue working to ensure that the trip begins when the family embarks, and that both adults and children enjoy a unique and comfortable experience on board.”

For his part, the president of the FEFN (‘Federación Española de Familias Numerosas’) has highlighted the importance of having a family offer focused on families to facilitate leisure and tourism to families, also taking into account that they are “a fundamental public for this sector and that will play a very important role in its recovery, especially this year”. In this sense, he stressed that “families are eager to travel and enjoy tourism and, therefore, it is important that they have spaces and activities adapted to their needs, such as what Baleària offers on its ships”.

It is worth remembering that Baleària has several services and facilities for family travel, including spaces reserved for children with games, magic shows and entertainment in high season. On the other hand, on the smart ships, the shipping company has a digital entertainment platform on demand, with content also for them: animated films, digital games, etc.

It should also be noted that the ships have high chairs and cribs to improve their comfort during the voyages; children’s menus are offered in the restaurants and cafeterias; there are baby changing tables in the bathrooms; and there are special prices for children.

The Family Tourism Seal was created in 2013 by ‘Federación Española de Familias Numerosas’ a.k.a. FEFN with the double objective of helping families find places for vacations adapted to their needs, and at the same time, favoring the improvement of the tourism offer focused on families. To this end, the FEFN, in collaboration with the consulting firm DNA Turismo y Ocio, locates and promotes all these family-oriented entities, once it has been verified that they meet the requirements to be considered Family Tourism, thus contributing to expand the offer and make it increasingly higher quality and specialization. To date, more than 180 tourism entities, including destinations, accommodations and activity companies, have this distinction.

The company has also organized this week a meeting with associations of travel bloggers, with the aim of sharing the news of the shipping company in the services it operates in the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

Report by 24/7 Valencia team
Photo by Judit Binefa Garrofe

About Baleària

Baleària is the leading shipping company in passenger and cargo transport on connections with the Balearic Islands, and also links Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands with the mainland. Internationally, it offers services to Morocco, Algeria and the Caribbean (between the United States and the Bahamas).

The shipping company is a global pioneer in the use of natural gas: in 2019 it was the first to sail with this cleaner energy in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. Baleària’s gas fleet will reach 9 ships this year, between new constructions and re-motorizations, with an investment of 380 million. The company is committed to putting technology at the service of its customers in its smart ships and the use of big data to improve efficiency.

Baleària defines itself as a responsible corporate citizen, which has taken on the United Nations Agenda 2030 as the roadmap that guides its activity in the areas of economic, social and environmental sustainability.

In 2020, Baleària carried more than 2,150,000 passengers and 5,743,000 linear metres of cargo on the 29 ships in its fleet. The company, which employs more than 1,500 people, had a turnover of 342 million euros.

More info: https://www.balearia.com/en