One of the issues we addressed in this interview with Alejandro Sancho, president of Fomento del Turismo de Ibiza, is the impact of the leisure industry on the Ibiza brand.
We have also addressed in three other parts of the interview the unexpected and controversial rise of the eco-tax and the contradiction it entails with the aim of recovering family tourism, as well as the health of the entity. -Let’s go to the leisure sector of Ibiza.
The other day,in an interview with the vice-president of Fomento del Turismo, José Luis Benítez, in this case as manager of Ocio de Ibiza, I started by telling him that Ibiza was the only place in the world that seemed not to want to look like Ibiza…
-(He thinks about it)…
Leisure has given a lot to Ibiza and we have to be proud of it.
The sector has been exemplary during one of the worst tourism crises ever, when it took a series of very brave measures.
Also it is necessary to emphasize the very important and decided bet for extending the season, they open in April and close in October.
Having a sector such as leisure is a very important reinforcement for an Ibiza that today has differentiated tourist segments that contribute to making Ibiza a diverse tourist destination.
In addition to being exemplary, leisure is an innovative and pioneering sector.
One aspect that I want to highlight and that is not often talked about but is very important is the behavior of tourists throughout their lives.
It is very important for Ibiza to have millions of tourists who have come when they were young, alone or with friends, and who have been enchanted by the island and then come as a couple, later as a family and then again as a couple.
They have known a different Ibiza according to the decades and choose different vacations, but they keep coming to Ibiza.
Another very relevant aspect is that when they come as a family, there are tourists who look for a babysitter in order to have a night out in Ibiza. Therefore, the importance of leisure transcends the number of tourists who come to the nightclubs per year.
Having it is a luxury for Ibiza because it is a priceless quarry. -There are people who are 70 years old and still come to Ibiza because they came to Sant Antoni when they were 20 years old.
I always say that if Sant Antoni didn’t exist it would have to be invented, as it is a fantastic gateway to the destination.
-That’s right.
It is very combinable with all types of tourism and with other areas.
Besides, in the last few years, the offer has made a supreme effort to be updated, there are exemplary products in all the lines.
This is the formula for success: offering quality.
