Pepa Mari, talks to IbizaNOW

"We need to improve our winter offerings so that people will opt to take their holidays here"

Ibiza's council representative for tourism, Pepa Mari, talks to IbizaNOW:

No sooner are the long and stressful days of the FITUR trade fair in Madrid over than Pepa Mari has to start preparing for the ITB Berlin tourist trade show (from 5th to 9th March). At the moment, Ibiza's island councillor in charge of the tourism department has little time to relax. The Social Democrat, who is married to a German and studied in Germany, took up the post early last summer.

IbizaNOW:
You're about to embark on your first summer season as the Island Council's tourist representative. How do you define a good season?
Pepa Mari:
First of all, a good season is a long season... and a good season is one that fulfils the expectations of the businesses and companies that depend on the tourist industry for a living, leaving them feeling satisfied with the overall outcome.

IbizaNOW: The crucial question that the politicians and islanders have been asking themselves for years now is how to channel the holiday rush so that it is more evenly distributed over a longer period of time. However, so far, it appears that there is no economic or political solution in sight that would enable the season to be extended.
Pepa Mari:
This is exactly what has to change. One of my main aims is to encourage people to visit Ibiza off-season. We are currently in discussions with four airlines (Air Berlin, Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Vueling), all of which have expressed interest in increasing their service to Ibiza during the off-season period. On the other hand, there's no point in trying to kid ourselves - the majority of our tourists will always come here during the summer.

IbizaNOW:
How do you plan to convince the airlines to offer flights to Ibiza in autumn and winter as well? The only thing that they are interested in is making a profit.
Pepa Mari:
In return, we are willing to up our advertising provisions significantly in other countries. After all, it's also in our interests to make the airlines' flights to Ibiza as popular as possible. Otherwise, the logical outcome will be that they would cancel the route the following winter.

Pepa Mari flanked by flao and hierbas at FITUR

IbizaNOW:
Every time the topic of tourism planning comes up on Ibiza, we hear the phrase "quality tourism". Does this mean that the island is going to cater exclusively for golfers and yacht owners in future?
Pepa Mari:
No, definitely not, at least not the way I see it. For me, quality tourism means that holidaymakers and island residents alike get their money's worth. The tourists get the best break available and the residents' quality of life remains unaffected by the island's visitors.

IbizaNOW:
Yes, but this still doesn't answer the question...
Pepa Mari:
... Obviously, we have to give priority to sustainable tourism. We want to show the world that Ibiza is a unique island. I have nothing against golf courses or yachting marinas as such, unless they put our natural environment at risk. My plan clearly prioritises soft tourism, such as measures to promote biking holidays.

IbizaNOW:
Malicious tongues are saying that the length of the season depends on the clubs. After all, it's true that the summer season really kicks off when they start pumping up the bass and, more or less, ends when they switch off their systems.
Pepa Mari:
Well, I'm sure that the duration of the main season depends on other factors as well, such as the weather and the flights available. Though of course, there's no denying that Ibiza has gained a reputation as a clubber's paradise over the past years, unfortunately. This development has been at the expense of family and active holidays.

IbizaNOW:
What plans do you have for your time in office?
Pepa Mari:
It would be a big step forward for us all - the Island Council, the town halls and the economy in general - if we could just pull together. If we could agree what measures we want to take to achieve which objectives. We need to maintain existing markets, such as tourism from Britain and Germany, and at the same time focus on the markets in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. And one really important thing: if we want to encourage airlines to increase their service to Ibiza, we need to offer an attractive programme off-season. No one would consider flying to Ibiza in the winter if there's nothing interesting to do when they get here. That's what we're working to improve at the moment.

IbizaNOW:
Have you been able to achieve any of your aims in the few months that you've been in office?
Pepa Mari:
Yes, at the end of last year, we launched a new internet portal (www.ibiza.travel). The site is available so that everyone can find out about upcoming events and learn more about the island.

IbizaNOW:
For years now, rumours that the Ibicencans are becoming less friendly have been on the increase. Do you agree with this?
Pepa Mari:
We have a positive attitude towards the tourist industry and little has changed in that respect. We are also still very much aware of how immensely important tourism is in economic terms. However, in certain situations, there is a tendency to emphasise the downside of the tourist industry rather than its more positive aspects. Unfortunately, there is also no denying that the quality of the services on offer has declined.

IbizaNOW:
When your predecessor was still in office, a great deal of time and effort went into developing and approving a marketing plan for the coming years. Now you say that you want to put this plan on ice - how come?
Pepa Mari:
We criticised this market plan from the word go. This plan deals primarily with the question of how to sell the Ibizan product effectively. The way I see it, how is not the crucial question here. Instead, we really should be asking ourselves what kind of tourism we want to have in future. In other words, we first of all have to focus on the product, i.e. Ibiza as a holiday destination with a future.

IbizaNOW:
How is the tourist sector on Ibiza doing at the moment?
Pepa Mari:
Its health has suffered somewhat, but the sector is a robust one so I'm not unduly worried. This island of Ibiza has achieved such widespread recognition as a holiday destination over the years that the brand now pretty much sells itself. However, we need to ask ourselves where we want to be five years down the line. We have a lot of work ahead of us and people need to invest in the island. Take the Platja d'en Bossa, for example. This zone needs to be completely restructured and must be brought into line with today's standards. This means improving hygiene, maintaining the parks, increasing the services available on the beaches, providing facilities that are accessible to the disabled... in short, the whole environment needs to be made more attractive.