TWINNEDbySTARS ended its participation in FIMAR 2026 in Gran Canaria with renewed momentum for Atlantic cooperation, as the fair brought together businesses, researchers, institutions and the wider public around the blue economy, marine innovation, and ecotourism.
The fair officially opened on 22 May and ran until 24 May, with Martinique taking part as the guest territory. The delegation from the French overseas territory joined the opening alongside the mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, and the councillor for City of the Sea and Tourism, Pedro Quevedo.
For TWINNEDbySTARS, the event offered a public platform to showcase Atlantic Star Adventures and Atlantic Onboard Internships while also strengthening the project’s links with Martinique and wider outermost-region networks.
A project on display
The project’s stand was designed as a shared space with Martinique, allowing companies and delegates to move freely between both exhibits and explore business opportunities, future cooperation and joint promotion.
That setup reflected one of the project’s key aims: not only to market its outputs but also to build lasting connections between partners in the Canary Islands, Martinique, Madeira and the Azores.
Elba Bueno, manager of the Maritime Cluster of the Canary Islands, said TWINNEDbySTARS had helped connect companies across the outermost regions and generate innovative projects with strong potential for the archipelagos involved.
Martinique at the centre
The Martinique delegation played a leading role throughout the week, taking part in the earlier cooperation day, the B2B sessions and the fair itself.
Their presence helped turn FIMAR into a space for practical exchanges on marine energy, coastal protection, eco-shipbuilding, biodiversity, and other blue economy themes.
Misael Morales of Biosean stated that the project had fostered “fantastic” synergies and paved the way for new ideas and potential collaboration between Martinique and the Canary Islands.
Project outputs
The fair also gave Nautic Ocean a chance to present the project’s two outputs: Atlantic Star Adventures and Atlantic Onboard Internships.
Gerard Martínez of Nautic Ocean said the event allowed the consortium to explain the products to a wider audience and reach people who may be interested in stargazing tourism, learning opportunities, and marine experiences linked to the project.
This visibility matters because the project is designed to move from networking to concrete products, helping the outermost regions turn cooperation into commercial and educational opportunities.
Public reach
FIMAR 2026 drew more than 14,000 visitors over three days and created a lively atmosphere at Sanapú, with family activities, boat visits, public talks and nautical demonstrations.
For TWINNEDbySTARS, that public setting was an opportunity to explain the value of marine ecotourism and show how regional cooperation can reach beyond institutional audiences.
The project now looks to build on the contacts made in Gran Canaria and continue promoting Atlantic Star Adventures and Atlantic Onboard Internships across the partner regions.