image of ibiza

[stephen]

dr mick and i had a heated debate about ibiza's image yesterday.

here's a few clippings i got from google news.

Ibiza alarm at tourist drug use
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 18 Aug 2005
Intoxicated tourists make up 80% of all drug overdose cases that end up in the emergency room on the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza, a study has revealed.

DESPERATE PLEA FROM MEN IN THE TOWN WITHOUT WOMEN
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 18 Aug 2005
... Optimistically, the poster also boasts of the town's "superb nightlife", which led one travel critic to describe the area as "the Ibiza of the North". ...

A licence to cause trouble?
ic CheshireOnline, UK - 18 Aug 2005
... claims that Britain's youth may adopt similar behaviour to that experienced by boozing Brits in popular holiday resorts like Faliraki and Ibiza, the majority ...

Smoothing the Changes
LA City Beat, CA - 17 Aug 2005
... Soon Bem and Gaby Dershin were producing tracks together in Dershin’s home studio. A trip to the Spanish party isle of Ibiza sealed the deal. ...

Making a play for it
Times Online, UK - 17 Aug 2005
... During August, the hotel’s atrium has been transformed into an Ibiza beach, complete with cocktails, DJs and pink palm trees. ...

232 West 14th St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.)
New York Press, NY - 17 Aug 2005
... sweaty heads. If this sounds like paradise, it is. But this paradise, like Ibiza or the Cayman Islands, is hardly a secret. By 7 ...

Two great pals, two tragic deaths
Sligo Weekender, Ireland - 17 Aug 2005
By Sandra Coffey. A holiday to Ibiza ended in tragedy for a young Sligo man who went on the trip in memory of his best friend, who died last year. ...

Tiësto In Concert
Pollstar - 17 Aug 2005
... As you might imagine, he's a favorite of Spain's Ibiza scene and he'll appear on the party-centric island several times in between US dates this fall.

SOS on the Thames Part 2
Resident Advisor, Australia - 17 Aug 2005
Since the first sold-out one which set sail in May, Desyn Masiello, Demi and Omid16B have put on four decadent parties in Ibiza and now return to London loved ...

Zwinging with the Zs
Manila Bulletin, Philippines - 16 Aug 2005
... the older ones joined in on the swinging frenzy on the dance floor (actually the sandy beach), making the beachfront look more like a spot in Ibiza, the party ...

Britney Forever
Los Angeles Times, CA - 14 Aug 2005
... Although it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to ban tattoo parlors from judgment-free zones such as Cancun and Ibiza, generally tattoo artists would rather not ...

The party’s over in Ibiza
The Statesman, India - 13 Aug 2005
... It really shouldn’t be like this. For it is August, and, incredibly, this is Ibiza. ... For 10 years, Ibiza has been the hedonistic hot spot. ...

BINGE DRINK BATTLE IS TOUGHER THAN TERROR
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 12 Aug 2005
... or tripling the price is extreme, and I can't imagine it would be easily done." Earlier this week, police chiefs said towns would face Ibiza-style disorder if ...

Brits foaming over relaxed drink laws
The Age (subscription), Australia - 12 Aug 2005
... Continental trading hours. "We have seen the future, and it is Ibiza," is the best summary of the current police attitude. Pavlov's dogs ...

Licensing Hours: TV star joins battle to stop late bar boozing
Hampstead Express, UK - 12 Aug 2005
... has presented Top of the Pops and the Dog's Balearics, a late-night Channel 4 show that glorified the excesses of holiday-makers in Ibiza's infamous nightclubs ...


this is patently an extremely one dimensional view of ibiza. but it's the one joe mondeo reads. no wonder he doesn't want to come here any more!

the good thing though is that ibiza has one of the highest fidelity rates in all spain. the vast majority of first time visitors return to the island which just goes to show that once somebody sees how fantastic ibiza really is, they come back.

the problem now is how to change the image.
any ideas?

 

[Morbyd]

I don't think you totally change the image. Not practical (and no fun!)

I think you promote Ibiza as a place that has something for everyone.

You wanna party? Great!

You want to lie on a calm remote beach? Come on down!

You want to do watersports? We got it!

You want to sip wine in a countryside restaurant? Listen to a jazz band in a rustic setting? Explore some caves? See a bit of history?

Young, old, ravers, families, retirees, Ibiza's got it all. That's what I tell people here... but you've got to promote the islands other activities because the music/party culture promotes itself.

 

[Barbie]

the good thing though is that ibiza has one of the highest fidelity rates in all spain. the vast majority of first time visitors return to the island which just goes to show that once somebody sees how fantastic ibiza really is, they come back.

the problem now is how to change the image.
any ideas?

The thing is most of us on here can't 'win' with you Stephen. We do come back to Ibiza again and again. I've been every year since 1996 and since 2000 have taken 2 holidays a year in Ibiza. We spend lots of money (yes so of it does go to those evil club places ) but we also spend a lot of money on accomodation, eating out, taxis, in the shops etc etc. I've never ever had any encounters with the Guardia Civil, I've never had to use any of Ibiza's hospital/doctors for either alcohol/drug misuse or for any other reason, in fact if I wasn't one of those evil clubber types that you have a problem with I think I'm a pretty good visitor to your island

 

[Drew]

Ibiza's image could be improved dramatically by tidying up the 'tacky' looking resorts, especially Playa d'En Bossa/Figurettas (I'm sure the same goes for San An, but can't comment because i don't really spend any time there)

Although the resorts have a lot to offer they are littered with tacky cafe's, bars etc.

I think by providing somewhere a little 'classier' to go eat/drink in these resorts would help attract a better type of holidaymaker than the current chav culture.

Don't want to appear a snob, but i've seen some real dregs of society wandering around and sometimes you stop and think "why do i choose to holiday here when there are far more classier places to spend my money"

My $0.02

 

[stephen]

the point of this thread barbie is not to apportion blame. i have never said clubbers are bad people. in fact their half assed attempts at being 'wicked' make me laugh. the problem for the island is that many people think that ibiza is full of wall to wall wickedness and we here all know that it isn't.

ibiza does have all the things morbyd says and it has more. the thing that sets it apart from many other med resorts is its arty/bohemian/artisanal side. i've travelled lots around spain and never come across anything remotely like the villages of ibiza for their atmosphere, art galleries, bars and general laid back joie de vivre or duende.

it's why so many spanish people come here because it's so different.

this is the point that the authorities need to stress as well.

btw drew, san an is really improving its image with the new mayor in charge. the area round the church is absolutely beautiful and there's another smart new bar about to open just opposite.

 

[Barbie]

the point of this thread barbie is not to apportion blame. i have never said clubbers are bad people. in fact their half assed attempts at being 'wicked' make me laugh. the problem for the island is that many people think that ibiza is full of wall to wall wickedness and we here all know that it isn't.

I don't think they do tho, or definitely not the people I come across. Thru friends, various work contacts, relations etc if I mention I'm going to Ibiza (again), people do mention the big clubs like Space etc but they also talk about the beautiful beaches, the nice restaurants etc. I have never come across anyone who has said to me 'Ibiza, what do you go there for?? It's just like on Ibiza Uncovered' or whatever.

Not everyone is that narrow-minded and a lot of people are far more intelligent and can see beyond what the media portray. Like you said in another thread 'you and Jackie having a nice meal at xxxx' isn't going to make the headlines. But it's the same in the UK, if we were to believe all we read in the paper/see on TV you'd think that every English town turns into a war zone come night-time with binge drinkers, people getting into rucks and smashing things up, but again it's something I've never really come across. I know it exists but it's just a small part of UK life, as it is in Ibiza or anywhere in the world for that matter.

 

[Morbyd]

if we were to believe all we read in the paper/see on TV you'd think that every English town turns into a war zone come night-time with binge drinkers, people getting into rucks and smashing things up

You're trying to say that all that's not true

 

[NetX]

once John Doe (and the media) has an opinion, that´s pretty hard to change.

Take Mallorca for example: here in Germany it´s still in almost every newspaper and on TV only "Ballermann 6" at Arenal - only VERY slowly changing, that image

Or Bangkok and the "hot spot" PatPong - GoGo bars, nude dancing, sex shows. Yes, they are still there - but it´s only a tiny tiny tiny aspect of Bangkok

Ko Samui, one of the islands in the Gulf of Thailand, managed to change it´s image a bit, be it for good or worse. A long-time favorite with backpackers they are almost extinct and wandered off for other islands, the GoGo bar scene is not as active as even in 2000 and the whole island presents itself more and more as a family-resort-island for the well-to-do.



I think maybe we are overrating that clubber´s image of Ibiza a bit.
Were are the clubbers outside SanAn and Playa de Bossa? Some have even never been to Ibiza town or Dalt Villa, not to mention anything else "north" of Ibiza town.

And looking at how many ppl fit inside the clubs and how many tourist beds are available on the island - how high is the percentage of clubbers vs "normal" tourists?

I know quite some older ppl who visit Ibiza for 20 years or longer for at least once every year, and they have never really been in contact with the clubbing aspect of Ibiza (apart from been a couple of times in old Ku way back)

 

[McRackin]

btw drew, san an is really improving its image with the new mayor in charge. the area round the church is absolutely beautiful and there's another smart new bar about to open just opposite.

i havent been yet to the new cafe babel but i have heard lots of good things about it!!

 

[stephen]

i have been to cafe babel and it's very nice indeed. reasonable prices, nice food/tapas, real cocktails (the ones without lurid names), and you can play chess on the tables outside underlooking the church. the mosaic floor is interesting to say the least and the bar appears to be aimed at, shall we say, a more 'mature' client.
it's an ideal stop off for clients of don quijote, a quiet bar with art exhibitions just up the road and en camino to my wife's favourite caravanserai shop.
also just round the corner is l'angliru bar, packed with asturian fare washed down with lashings of cider - last week they gave a free tasting of traditional food from the region in the fountains square of san antonio accompanied by a celtic pipe band.

also san council have announced that a winter/christmas market will be held behind the church this year.

 

[McRackin]

just round the corner is l'angliru bar, packed with asturian fare washed down with lashings of cider - last week they gave a free tasting of traditional food from the region in the fountains square of san antonio accompanied by a celtic pipe band.

 

[McRackin]

i have been to cafe babel and it's very nice indeed. reasonable prices, nice food/tapas, real cocktails (the ones without lurid names), and you can play chess on the tables outside underlooking the church. the mosaic floor is interesting to say the least and the bar appears to be aimed at, shall we say, a more 'mature' client.

dontstayin