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HEALTH

Ibiza locals describe bittersweet feelings as tourist numbers plummet

On the largely-empty beach at Figueretas on Ibiza, social distancing isn't hard to do. Here, bar terraces are sparsely populated and the shutters of apartments overlooking them are mostly closed.

Ibiza locals describe bittersweet feelings as tourist numbers plummet
A nightclub bus in an empty lot. Photo: JAIME REINA / AFP

With Spanish health authorities struggling to contain rising coronavirus infections, this island fears its tourist season may have been dealt a final blow following Britain's decision to quarantine all arrivals from Spain.

But both the tourists who are here and the locals are enjoying a period of unprecedented calm in Ibiza — one of the Balearic Islands — which is normally overrun by clubbers and DJs from across the globe.

“The impact has been terrible. The pandemic has battered the local economy for one simple reason: 90 percent of the island's GDP comes from tourism,” said Vicent Torres, head of the island's governing council.

In mid-June, the Balearic Islands had high hopes of making the most of the summer when the archipelago welcomed the first foreign tourists allowed into Spain after the lockdown as part of a pilot project with Germany.

And by July, the recovery was well under way, “better than we had expected,” said Iago Negueruela, head of tourism for the Balearic Isles' regional government.

But Britain's announcement on July 25 that it would impose quarantine on anyone arriving from Spain, given the increase in cases, has threatened to wipe out the recovery.

And the irony is that the Balearic Islands have seen very few cases of infection.

READ MORE: How the UK's new quarantine rules are impacting travel to Spain

 

Flurry of cancellations

The effect was immediate.

“From the very first day, customers were calling to cancel their reservations,” said Lucas Prats, manager of a four-star hotel in the centre of Ibiza town.

“For those who have to work (when they go back to the UK), it's a problem,” he acknowledged.

“It has been a major blow,” admitted Torres, pointing out that British tourism accounts for about 30 percent of the island's visitors.

“It is going to very difficult to come back from this because the British tourists had just started arriving and we were confident this would get the season going. But this decision has shattered all our expectations.”

Famed for its clubbing culture and nightlife, Ibiza must also contend with the closure of its iconic dance clubs, some of the most popular in the world, but shuttered to slow the spread of the virus.

The Spanish government, which has denounced the British move as unfair, fought hard to obtain an exemption for travellers returning from the Balearic or Canary Islands.

But London refused. If such an exemption “is not agreed quickly, some businesses and hotels will close down and it will be very difficult for them to open again,” said Torres.

Louis Morgan, 23, who is visiting from Wales for a few weeks, thinks that a quarantine requirement for those coming from the Balearics “seems unreasonable”.

And his girlfriend Milly Davies, 22, agreed.

“The infection rate is way lower here,” she said.

Enjoying the peace 

Although the island's towns and beaches are normally crowded, neither the tourists nor the locals are unhappy about the atmosphere of unprecedented calm.

“It's quite nice, actually. We were walking down the streets and it was quieter,” said Davies, after an evening stroll through Ibiza town.

“There are fewer tourists, parties, perhaps more families.. you can feel the difference in the traffic when you're going to the beach with the children, it's quite noticeable,” said Swiss national Santi Soto, 47, who regularly visits with her husband and two boys.

For taxi driver Angel Torres, the crisis has given the islanders a rare moment of peace.

“You can hear people saying 'I wish it would stay like this forever' because there's no overcrowding on the beaches nor in restaurants, nor on the roads,” said the 47-year-old, sitting inside his taxi.

“So you can enjoy the island much more than in other years even if it's a major economic blow.” Juan Jose Roig who lives in the highest part of the town, said he's happy to be able to hear the cicadas around his house.

“We have the island to ourselves, and we're enjoying it like we did 30 years ago,” the 53-year-old electrician told AFP.

“There has to be a half-way point where people can eat and work well, while also having space.

“They will have to rethink the tourist model a bit, it's unavoidable.”

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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