stivi
Well-Known Member
I poured my heart out yesterday regarding the current state of affairs...
IBIZA - QUO VADIS?
this summer, with the mini-season we've had (or non-season for certain sectors), it has clearly shown us how fragile the entire economical structure is here on the balearics. it has shown us once more that without tourism, things look pretty bleak very quickly.
over the course of the last few months, I've read a lot of articles, plus, as lots of people had a lot of time on their hands, I've also read tons of social media posts as to how ibiza should evolve once we're past covid-19. and even though it weren't the majority of voices, I did see a lot of opinions that were championing and celebrating the 'quiet ibiza' of this year - or to be more specific, an ibiza without clubs, with a focus on familiar tourism and a departure from mass tourism generally.
as we are on our direct way into what's undoubtedly gonna be the longest ibiza winter ever, I've reflected a little on the past few months and after much consideration I've decided I'd like to share my own thoughts too. freedom of speech, isn't it. it's a long read, but I suppose a lot of people will have time and some might take interest, so here goes...
first off, I personally did understand the balearic government's initial approach not to open the big clubs. back in june, right after we were through the first covid wave, I think that was an understandable and reasonable approach. and, speaking about mass tourism, I personally do think that here on ibiza, we have reached a level of tourist numbers which shouldn't be raised any more (I'm referring to a normal year, not 2020!). personally I do support those who claim we shouldn't build any more hotels, villas etc - the annual groundwater low levels we get every summer, the heavy traffic we experience and the sea water quality in certain areas are a clear indication that we shouldn't strain our island any more than we already do. and I definitely support that we all need to make efforts in getting more sustainable and ecological with anything we do. I want to be clear, I do think we all can and must do better.
now back to ibiza 2020. I know lots of people won't want to read or acknowledge this, but this summer, with the clubs shut, it has also clearly shown us how much the island thrives off them when they're open - or in other words, how much the island's economy suffers when they're not! I know lots of people will disagree with the following, but like it or not, it's still the nightlife that's ibiza's USP. I'll admit that the nightlife can cause issues (read on for that), but on an international level it's what draws people to the island like a magnet. I've been living here all year around for a decade now and have been coming here for nearly 20 years and I love all facets of ibiza. I love the quiet side and I love the winter here. but let's face the facts, 20-25% of the people that visit our island in a normal year do it mainly because of the nightlife. it's not their only reason to visit ibiza, but it's one of the main factors that makes people book a trip.
this summer was a special one - yes, lots of people have enjoyed seeing ibiza in a different light and with a different vibe and tempo. and I personally know a lot of people who usually come to ibiza to go clubbing (not only, but it's one of their main reasons) and who've come in july or august this year to support the island and/or because they've got friends living here. I'm sure we all have friends that came and we are all glad they did (unlike other summers when we never really have time for them). but I know a lot of those people wouldn't come back next year, paying the same prices, if the clubs are shut. we definitely got some goodwill this summer and it's good that lots of people discovered a different side of ibiza, but I don't think that goodwill will last forever.
I've read various opinion pieces on the subject that ibiza should depart from nightlife and change its touristic model into a more familiar style and push all year round tourism. while I personally understand the approach, I think we're in a difficult place for that given our competition. one, our neighbour islands have better cards for that than we do. while ibiza has lovely beaches, menorca wins that trophy hands down. plus, I do think they've done something right by putting a cap on hotels and building generally. but we need to consider that this had happened a long time ago, it's not a measure they've taken in the past few years. so, no matter the efforts we take, menorca will always keep being the number one choice for families on the balearics (and understandably so). and if we're talking about pushing all year around tourism, it's mallorca that wins this trophy. with its capital palma - a proper city that really offers everything you could ask for - and its tramuntana mountain ridge which is perfect for hikers & cyclists, I'll say the same I said about menorca and its beaches earlier: no matter our efforts, mallorca will keep on being the number one spot for a balearic winter visit. so while I definitely think we should support efforts to prolong the season and keep more stuff open in winter (and of course also generally be open to families, don't get me wrong!), I genuinely think we need to stay realistic and acknowledge that those efforts won't help too much looking at our annual total result.
another fact / issue is the pricing. yes it's true, this year, some of the hotels that opened have made some really good offers, especially to the spanish national market, to attract folks. but I'm not telling anyone any news here: the price level on ibiza is really high. and who is happy to pay for them apart from the rich that have the cash anyway? exactly, the DINKs that wanna come here because of the clubs. if we wanted to turn into a non-clubbing destination, the pricing level would have to go down massively overall. and I believe very few entrepreneurs would be happy to do so... also, above I only compared ibiza with the rest of the balearic islands. but the competition obviously doesn't stop there - in the entire mediterrranean area there are lots of other nice places that, like it or not, simply have a far better value-for-money ratio. what they don't have is our nightlife.
then there are the most radical opinions, those that think that, apart from shutting the clubs we should actually lower and limit the numbers of visitors the island gets. in the entire world, there are only a few places that have successfully put a cap on their arrival numbers. the perfect example is the galapagos islands. the tourist numbers are heavily limited and because of that it's also very expensive, but with its faunal biodiversity they've got something absolutely unique. now, if you shut the clubs here (and take the USP away) and limit the tourist numbers, good luck with that...in a few years you will be able to eliminate that limit again because people will stay away anyway.
IBIZA - QUO VADIS?
this summer, with the mini-season we've had (or non-season for certain sectors), it has clearly shown us how fragile the entire economical structure is here on the balearics. it has shown us once more that without tourism, things look pretty bleak very quickly.
over the course of the last few months, I've read a lot of articles, plus, as lots of people had a lot of time on their hands, I've also read tons of social media posts as to how ibiza should evolve once we're past covid-19. and even though it weren't the majority of voices, I did see a lot of opinions that were championing and celebrating the 'quiet ibiza' of this year - or to be more specific, an ibiza without clubs, with a focus on familiar tourism and a departure from mass tourism generally.
as we are on our direct way into what's undoubtedly gonna be the longest ibiza winter ever, I've reflected a little on the past few months and after much consideration I've decided I'd like to share my own thoughts too. freedom of speech, isn't it. it's a long read, but I suppose a lot of people will have time and some might take interest, so here goes...
first off, I personally did understand the balearic government's initial approach not to open the big clubs. back in june, right after we were through the first covid wave, I think that was an understandable and reasonable approach. and, speaking about mass tourism, I personally do think that here on ibiza, we have reached a level of tourist numbers which shouldn't be raised any more (I'm referring to a normal year, not 2020!). personally I do support those who claim we shouldn't build any more hotels, villas etc - the annual groundwater low levels we get every summer, the heavy traffic we experience and the sea water quality in certain areas are a clear indication that we shouldn't strain our island any more than we already do. and I definitely support that we all need to make efforts in getting more sustainable and ecological with anything we do. I want to be clear, I do think we all can and must do better.
now back to ibiza 2020. I know lots of people won't want to read or acknowledge this, but this summer, with the clubs shut, it has also clearly shown us how much the island thrives off them when they're open - or in other words, how much the island's economy suffers when they're not! I know lots of people will disagree with the following, but like it or not, it's still the nightlife that's ibiza's USP. I'll admit that the nightlife can cause issues (read on for that), but on an international level it's what draws people to the island like a magnet. I've been living here all year around for a decade now and have been coming here for nearly 20 years and I love all facets of ibiza. I love the quiet side and I love the winter here. but let's face the facts, 20-25% of the people that visit our island in a normal year do it mainly because of the nightlife. it's not their only reason to visit ibiza, but it's one of the main factors that makes people book a trip.
this summer was a special one - yes, lots of people have enjoyed seeing ibiza in a different light and with a different vibe and tempo. and I personally know a lot of people who usually come to ibiza to go clubbing (not only, but it's one of their main reasons) and who've come in july or august this year to support the island and/or because they've got friends living here. I'm sure we all have friends that came and we are all glad they did (unlike other summers when we never really have time for them). but I know a lot of those people wouldn't come back next year, paying the same prices, if the clubs are shut. we definitely got some goodwill this summer and it's good that lots of people discovered a different side of ibiza, but I don't think that goodwill will last forever.
I've read various opinion pieces on the subject that ibiza should depart from nightlife and change its touristic model into a more familiar style and push all year round tourism. while I personally understand the approach, I think we're in a difficult place for that given our competition. one, our neighbour islands have better cards for that than we do. while ibiza has lovely beaches, menorca wins that trophy hands down. plus, I do think they've done something right by putting a cap on hotels and building generally. but we need to consider that this had happened a long time ago, it's not a measure they've taken in the past few years. so, no matter the efforts we take, menorca will always keep being the number one choice for families on the balearics (and understandably so). and if we're talking about pushing all year around tourism, it's mallorca that wins this trophy. with its capital palma - a proper city that really offers everything you could ask for - and its tramuntana mountain ridge which is perfect for hikers & cyclists, I'll say the same I said about menorca and its beaches earlier: no matter our efforts, mallorca will keep on being the number one spot for a balearic winter visit. so while I definitely think we should support efforts to prolong the season and keep more stuff open in winter (and of course also generally be open to families, don't get me wrong!), I genuinely think we need to stay realistic and acknowledge that those efforts won't help too much looking at our annual total result.
another fact / issue is the pricing. yes it's true, this year, some of the hotels that opened have made some really good offers, especially to the spanish national market, to attract folks. but I'm not telling anyone any news here: the price level on ibiza is really high. and who is happy to pay for them apart from the rich that have the cash anyway? exactly, the DINKs that wanna come here because of the clubs. if we wanted to turn into a non-clubbing destination, the pricing level would have to go down massively overall. and I believe very few entrepreneurs would be happy to do so... also, above I only compared ibiza with the rest of the balearic islands. but the competition obviously doesn't stop there - in the entire mediterrranean area there are lots of other nice places that, like it or not, simply have a far better value-for-money ratio. what they don't have is our nightlife.
then there are the most radical opinions, those that think that, apart from shutting the clubs we should actually lower and limit the numbers of visitors the island gets. in the entire world, there are only a few places that have successfully put a cap on their arrival numbers. the perfect example is the galapagos islands. the tourist numbers are heavily limited and because of that it's also very expensive, but with its faunal biodiversity they've got something absolutely unique. now, if you shut the clubs here (and take the USP away) and limit the tourist numbers, good luck with that...in a few years you will be able to eliminate that limit again because people will stay away anyway.
