The 20th Symposium on Sports Ports analyzes the future of Spanish marinas in Palma

The President of Puertos del Estado, Gustavo Santana, takes part in the opening of a meeting focused on the future of nautical and sports facilities and port sustainability.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) and Actuaciones y Servicios Marítimos (ASMAR) inaugurated today, Thursday, May 28th, at the Port Center in Palma, the 20th Symposium on Sports Ports, the leading national forum for reflection and debate on nautical and sports facilities in Spain. The event brings together, over two days, institutional representatives, port authorities, legal experts, marina operators, and companies from the nautical sector to analyze the main challenges and opportunities of this strategic activity for the blue economy and nautical tourism.

The opening session was attended by the President of Puertos del Estado, Gustavo Santana Hernández, along with the Secretary General for Air and Maritime Transport, Benito Núñez Quintanilla; the Regional Minister for the Sea and the Water Cycle of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Juan Manuel Lafuente; as well as representatives of various port authorities and public administrations linked to the maritime and port sector.

Under the motto “The past guides us, the future drives us”, this 20th edition also coincides with the 40th anniversary of a congress that, since its creation in 1989, has become the main space for knowledge exchange and strategic analysis in the sector of marinas and yacht clubs in Spain.

During the institutional opening, the President of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, Javier Sanz, highlighted the strategic role currently played by marinas within the Spanish port system. “Marinas can no longer be understood solely as leisure- or tourism-related infrastructure. They are spaces of economic activity, innovation, sustainability, urban integration, and territorial cohesion,” he stated.

Sanz also defended the need to move towards management models based on collaboration and the modernization of port infrastructure. “The major challenges we face require dialogue, cooperation, and a shared vision,” he said, calling for “modern and responsible management of public port domain.”

The APB president also emphasized the value of the Port Center as a meeting point between the port and citizens. “This Port Center symbolizes the desire to bring the port closer to citizens, turning it into a space for knowledge, dialogue, and outreach, and strengthening the link between port activity and the society it serves,” he added.

For his part, Víctor Moreno, CEO and founding partner of ASMAR and director of the Symposium, stated that this 20th edition “reflects the consolidation of an essential forum to share experiences, build alliances, and anticipate the challenges that will shape the future of marinas in Spain.”

Moreno also thanked the involvement of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and the fact that Palma is hosting this national meeting at a time of sector transformation. In this regard, he highlighted the role of the Balearic Islands as an international benchmark in recreational boating and the APB’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and port–city integration.

The Symposium program will address over two days issues such as environmental sustainability, digitalization, new concession models, coastal protection, port–city relations, and the competitiveness of Spanish marinas in the international context, through presentations and panel discussions with experts, institutional representatives, and maritime-port professionals.