The work of the British Consulate in Ibiza rose by 33 per cent last year, a result of the trend of booking holidays via the internet according to Paul Abrey, the British Consul for the Balearics, on his first visit to the island since becoming Consul in October, as part of a Balearic shuffle. Fewer numbers in summer 2009 did not mean less work as more visitors relied directly on the services of the Consulate, a result of a smaller number of people travelling with the recognised tour operators who provide a ground service in resort via their team of reps.
However, despite this major incidents were down with the number of deaths of British citizens in Ibiza and Formentera during 2009 falling by 58 per cent, with sexual assaults also plummeting by similar levels (down 52 per cent).
Regarding the coming season Abrey remained optimistic, claiming the latest news from ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) was of increases to all of the four islands. Meanwhile the Vice-Consul, Maria Leng, said there was a positive vibe about the island, which was indicated by the fact Ryanair, and many other low-cost airlines, were increasing flights this year.
