HIC summit will take place in Ibiza on 28-30 October 2026!
The organisers said:”HIC Summit Ibiza will hold its 8th edition from 28 to 30 October, bringing together institutional representatives, tourism and gastronomy professionals, marine conservation specialists, researchers and civil society voices. Sessions will take place at the Balearic Islands Hospitality School, TheHUB Ibiza and Colegio Mestral.
Supported by organisations including the Consell d’Eivissa, Ibiza Tourism and the Santa Eulària des Riu Town Council, this year’s edition will address an issue affecting destinations across Spain: how to interpret tourism growth when arrivals, expenditure, length of stay and pressure on resources tell different stories. The programme combines discussions on management and regulation with initiatives focused on science, nature, local culture and creating opportunities for communities.
According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), 70.4 million international tourists visited Spain between January and August 2026. In Ibiza, IBESTAT’s human pressure indicator reached 324,181 people on 31 July, while hotel occupancy in August was 92.06%, according to the Ibiza and Formentera Hotel Business Federation
(FEHIF). These figures place the Summit’s discussions firmly within the context of destinations’ day-to-day management and use of resources.
Wednesday, 28 October: Gastronomy rooted in identity and place
The opening day will take place at the Balearic Islands Hospitality School and will focus on gastronomy as an expression of identity, provenance and commitment. Jaume Bauzà, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Government of the Balearic Islands, and Oscar Caro, founder of HIC Summit, will deliver the welcome addresses.
The panel ‘Gastronomy with identity: provenance as inspiration, commitment as an ingredient’ will bring together Lucía Grávalos, chef at Desborre (Madrid Region); Walter Sidoravicius, chef at Omakase by Walt (Balearic Islands); Carlos Casillas, chef at Barro (Ávila); and María José Martínez, chef at El Lienzo (Valencian Community).
Journalist Benjamín Lana, president of Vocento Gastronomía and director of Madrid Fusión and San Sebastián Gastronomika, will take part in an interview and receive the 2026 HIC Talentum Award in recognition of his career and contribution to gastronomy.
The relationship between food, community and place will be explored in a second panel featuring Maribel Juan Torres, president of the Balearic Council for Organic Agricultural Production; Zelia Sicot, coordinator of the Eating in Ibiza Gastronomic Club at Ibiza Tourism Promotion; David Basilio, operations director at Linkers; and Lluís Oliva i Munar, president of the Ibiza and Formentera branch of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands. The programme will include a joint tasting by the four chefs and conclude with Josefa
Costa, managing director of the Balearic Islands Hospitality School in Ibiza.
Thursday, 29 October: Tourism, oceans and nature-inspired innovation
The second day, at TheHUB Ibiza, will open with remarks by Mariano Juan, first vice-president and councillor for Territorial Affairs at the Consell d’Eivissa, under the theme ‘Managing tourism, preserving the territory’.
The panel ‘Transforming tourism: from commitments to decisions’ will feature Luigi Cabrini, chair of the
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC); Carmen Ferrer, mayor of Santa Eulària des Riu; and Gloria Juste, vice-president of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Palladium Hotel Group.
The blue economy and marine conservation will take centre stage in ‘Destinations’ blue transition: science, conservation and marine restoration’, featuring José Manuel Lapeña, consul general of Seychelles; Marc Rigau, CEO of Fundación Blue Life; Francisco Barreiro, technical specialist at the Port Authority of Vigo; and Francisco López Castejón, researcher at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena and founder of CORI.
Bárbara Lang-Lenton, director of Biodiversity at Jumeirah Group (United Arab Emirates), will take part in an interview and receive the 2026 HIC Talentum Award for the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project.
Biomimicry—the practice of learning from nature’s strategies to solve design challenges—will be the focus of another panel, featuring Bel Barroso and Alejandro Álvarez, researchers at the University of Málaga; Marlén López, architect and director of the Biomimetic Laboratory at Redes Natural Park; and Manuel Quirós, biologist, biomimicry expert and lecturer at IE, UNAV and UPV/EHU.
Dr Dayna Baumeister, co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8 and professor at Arizona State University (United States), will receive the 2026 HIC Talentum Award in recognition of her career in education and public engagement.
Sam Dean, co-founder and managing partner of TheHUB Ibiza, and Harold Gallo, vice-president of Fundación Blue Life and business development director at Eleven, will close the day.
Friday, 30 October: Community, regulation and resource management
Colegio Mestral will host the closing day and the 8th HIC Summit Forum. Oscar Caro, founder of HIC Summit, and Antonio Olmedilla, director of Colegio Mestral, will welcome attendees. The panel ‘The social dimension of tourism: coexistence, inclusion and heritage’ will feature Carmen Boned, manager of the Ibiza and Formentera Association for People with Special Needs (APNEEF); Antònia Maria Cirer, spokesperson for the Institut d’Estudis Eivissencs; and Víctor Torres, vice-president and spokesperson for Jóvenes de Ibiza.
Tourism regulation and efforts to combat unauthorised tourism activity will be discussed in a session with Daniel Marí, manager of FECOEV (Ibiza Fairs, Congresses and Events). Guillermo Pouplana, manager of the Son Felip estate in Menorca, will then explore the connections between regenerative agriculture, landscaperestoration and tourism experiences.
Dr Fanny Douvere, a management specialist at UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, will receive the 2026 HIC Talentum Award in recognition of her research career. Water security, reuse and aquifers will be the subject of a conversation with Joan Calafat, director general of Water Resources for the Government of the Balearic Islands. The programme will continue with Giuseppe Vulpis, island director of Environmental Management and Mobility at the Consell de Formentera, discussing territorial limits, mobility and environmental management.
The closing ceremony of HIC Summit Ibiza 2026 will be attended by the family of Catalina Prats Torres, ecognised as a pioneer of tourism in Ibiza, who will be honoured posthumously with a 2026 HIC Talentum Award.
Free registration: https://hic.travel/registro/
Here you have the official artwork!
