EMERGENCY FUNDING
A testing season continued, with hotel figures for the first 15 days of July showing another fall in numbers. Occupancy on both Ibiza and Formentera fell by 7.3% to 78.72%. The area to suffer the most was again the beach resorts of San Jose, although all municipalities showed a decline in numbers from last year.
The information received from the Hotel Federation remains the best barometer for measuring the success of the season, and the figures once again proved how the island is struggling to cope with economic hardships across Europe.
The beach resorts of San Jose fell by a massive 20.3% from last year, followed by the north of the island (-8.8%), San Antonio and the bay (8.7%), Ibiza Town (5.6%), Santa Eulalia (5.1%), with Formentera suffering the lowest declines (4.4%).
The official figures from the Ports Authority revealed that while 5,000 more passengers aboard cruise ships had arrived on the island during the period January to June (a total of 33,780), 51,000 less ferry passengers had arrived than for the same period last year (266,000).
Talamanca was singled out by the president of the federation, Joan Riera, who claimed the closure of the Playa Real hotel had taken a substantial number of tourists out of the area. The 245 bedroom three-star property was bought last year by the luxury hotel chain, Nicki Beach. They plan to turn the hotel into a five-star hotel, but work is yet to start and the company was reluctant to announce a starting date, although with eight projects currently underway around the world from Mexico to Portugal, it seems the hotel is some time away from reopening.
Riera added there were only 967 rooms in the whole area, and so the loss of almost 25 per cent of the rooms this year was a big blow and one which was being felt by local businesses in the area.
On the back of this negative news, the councillor for tourism, Pepa Mari, explained she was hoping to secure a total of 600,000 which would be used on an immediate marketing campaign to try and salvage something from this year. She revealed that she already had 120,000, half of which would come from the Island Council, the other half from the Chamber of Commerce. She was hoping to add another 480,000 from the National Tourist Board which would be used on an emergency campaign in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. This would include a 16-page pullout about the island inside the Independent newspaper, on Saturday 23rd August.
Mari commented that the global crisis was having a knock on effect on peoples holidaying habits, the results of which were being seen at the moment. She added the recent mergers of tour operators and airlines had had a negative effect on the island, to the benefit of our neighbour, Mallorca. She used the example of the merger of Air Berlin and LTU which had resulted in 90,000 less airplane seats to the island, due to cuts made after the fusion.
During an Island Council meeting on Friday the councillor for the economy, Tomas Mendez, claimed the island was about to enter the worst economic crisis in its history. He said that a number of issues had amalgamated at exactly the same time, including a downturn in the construction industry, the credit crunch and the rise in petrol prices, adding that the countries the island relied on for tourism were also suffering similar problems, which were only set to get worse in the short term.
Mendez said he would be calling a special assembly in September for all the Council members and key local businessmen to try and come up with some solutions to ease the crisis.

AROUND THE ISLAND

Cancer Alert
Doctors at Can Misses issued a stark warning last week, as they confirmed a total of 370 new cases of skin cancer on the island. This type of cancer has now become the most common on the island, accounting for 30 per cent of cases, followed by cancer of the colon (28 per cent) and lung cancer (25 per cent).
Dermatologist, Luis Cros, explained that the increase could be caused by a number of issues including the rapid growth in the islands population, as well as the renewed strength of solar radiation. He added that whilst the death rate from this type of cancer was still very low, people should still take a great deal of caution, using lots of sun cream and not going out during the hottest hours of the day (12 noon -4p.m).
There are three main types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.
Basal cell cancer, sometimes called non-melanoma skin cancer, usually appears as a small, fleshy bump or nodule on the head, neck, or hands. Occasionally, these nodules appear on the trunk of the body, usually as flat growths. Basal cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90 per cent of all skin cancers in Europe. It is often easily detected and has an excellent record for successful treatment.
Squamous cell skin cancer (sometimes referred to as non-melanoma carcinoma) may appear as nodules, or as red, scaly patches of skin and is the second most common skin cancer found in Caucasians, and is usually found on fair-skinned persons.
This form of cancer develops in approximately 200,000 people per year with a cure rate of 95 per cent, when properly treated.
Melanoma is a disease of the skin in which cancer cells are found in the melanocytes, the cells that produce colour in the skin or pigment known as melanin. Melanoma usually occurs in adults, but it may occasionally be found in children and adolescents. Melanoma may also be called cutaneous melanoma or malignant melanoma. Melanoma is the rarest, but most virulent, form of skin cancer and although the incidence is lower than other types of skin cancer, it has the highest death rate and is responsible for 75 per cent of all deaths from skin cancer.

Pest Control
The good news from the islands beaches this year around 35 per cent less jellyfish stings. The co-ordinator of the Red Cross, Salvador Morillo, who patrol the majority of the beaches on the island, confirmed incidents involving the pests had decreased significantly so far this year, although no official figures had yet to be released.
The reason for the sharp decline was the late rains which had helped to cool the temperatures and kept the jellyfish away. However, experts claimed things were about to change and warned rising temperatures could see a mini-invasion of the animals. A small plane equipped with photographic equipment has so far failed to find any swarms of jellyfish, although they are set to continue controlling the seas around all of the four islands. They also revealed that in addition there would be a total of 40 boats controlling the coasts, and removing whatever jellyfish they did find from the water.
For anyone who does get stung, here are some top tips to ensure you receive the most appropriate treatment.
First, soak or rinse the area in vinegar (acetic acid) for 15-30 minutes to stop the nematocysts from releasing their toxins. If you do not have vinegar available, rinse in sea water. Do not use fresh water. Fresh water will cause the nematocysts to continue to release their toxin. For the same reason, do not rub the area, apply ice or hot water.
Remove tentacles with a stick or a pair of tweezers. Wear gloves if you have them available.
Apply shaving cream or a paste of baking soda to the area. Shave the area with a razor or credit card to remove any adherent nematocysts. Then reapply vinegar or alcohol. The shaving cream or paste prevents nematocysts that have not been activated from releasing their toxin during removal with the razor.
Eye stings should be rinsed with a commercial saline solution; dab the skin around the eyes with a towel that has been soaked in vinegar. Do not place vinegar directly in the eyes.
Mouth stings should be treated with 1/4 strength vinegar. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 3 cup of water. Gargle and spit out the solution. Do not drink or swallow the solution.

High Price
A new study has revealed that Ibiza has the most expensive rental prices for sea-front apartments in Spain. The investigation carried out by Tecnitasa SA revealed that Playa den Bossa and ses Figueretes were the two most expensive areas, with a months vacation costing on average 4,588 during the high season, for a 65m2 property.
In Santa Eulalia this amount was drastically reduced to 3,034, with the bay of San Antonio also fairly pricey at 3,900 for an average sized property.
However, although the average price in Ibiza was the highest across the country, the port of Soler in Mallorca remained the most expensive area with prices averaging 4,940 for a one month stay.
The report came on the back of comments by the president of APIS in the Balearics, Jose Oliver, who claimed the price of housing had risen by 6.4 per cent over the last six months, despite falls across the rest of the country. He claimed the economy was very different on the islands, and that our safety blanket tourism would ensure that we were less affected than other destinations.
He claimed the situation had ground to a halt because buyers were waiting for the price to fall, something which would not happen, according to Oliver, until 2010.

Changes Finally Made
The gas duct which is set to provide natural gas to homes on the island will cost 2 million more than was first predicted. However, the new plans will ensure that the piping encroaches on just 40 pieces of private land, down on the 170 of the original plan.
This first project was criticised by all of the Town Halls affected, as well as the Island Council. This forced the company undertaking the work, Endesa Gas, to re-route the pipes journey and use more public land. The majority of the pipe will now run parallel to the San Antonio-Ibiza road and cost a total of 7 million.
The gas will be brought by underline piping from la Devesa beach in Valencia to Cala Gracio in San Antonio, a distance of 123 kilometres. It will then set off on a journey through the municipalities of San Antonio, Santa Eulalia and Ibiza before arriving at its destination, the GESA power-station on the outskirts of the capital, a total of 17,730 metres. It will initially just be used here, until further studies are carried out about taking the gas to other parts of the island.
The project is available for viewing for the next two weeks at Casa de Mar, headquarters of the main state government, on the road to Botafoc.

Fashion Show
Today sees the beginning of Adlib, the fashion show which takes place every year on the island. This year there will be a total of 13 designers at the event, a figure lower than previous years, and which caused criticism of the Island Council in some quarters.
More than half of the designers on the island claimed they had not been given enough warning about the event. This led to a number deciding they would not have enough time to produce the necessary designs for the show.
Despite the disorganisation, the show is set to include work from Piluca Bayarri, Ruben Perlotti and Charo Ruiz.

Romanian in the Dock
The trial of a Romanian man accused of stealing a wallet from a vehicle at the Hiper Center got underway last week. It appears the defendant and his accomplices used the now infamous cat trap to distract the victim, a Frenchman, who had gone to the supermarket to do his weekly shopping.
After loading his car the man was reversing when he heard a loud bang as his car appeared to hit an object. This is when the Romanian man signalled to the bottom of the vehicle and told him he had run over a cat. The victim then got out of the car, which was the moment in which the defendants accomplice leaned into the passenger seat to extract the bag which had been left there.
The Romanian then accompanied the man into the shop to help him cancel his credit cards, the latter completely unaware he had been duped. However, he eventually became suspicious and took down the number plate of the defendant as he left the car park, suspecting something was not quite right.
The defendant is facing a 15 year jail-term as well as 1,200 in compensation for the victim.

Police State
Ibiza has the exact number of police officers and Guardia Civil that it should have for the first time in its history, according the Madrids representative in the island, Sofia Hernanz. Although unable to reveal the exact number of reinforcements brought to the island during the summer for security reasons, she did make public there were now close to 600 officers on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, nearly 189 more than last year.
However, a large number of these reinforcements were trainees, a fact which flattered the official figures according to some.

Sixty per cent Reductions
This Monday saw the start of the summer sales in most of the retail shops across the island, with aggressive reductions the order of the day to try and counteract what has so far been a poor season. According to the president of Pimeef, the association for small and medium sized businesses, Jose Javier Mari Noguera, the start of the year had been fairly positive compared to last year, but most retailers saw a decline from May onwards. He continued that most people were now waiting for the start of the sales before making any more purchases. This year saw reductions of 50-60 per cent, especially on summer clothes, as shops attempt to reduce their stocks.

IBIZA TOWN
Technical Problems
Sandra Mayans, the councillor for culture and fiestas, was back in the dock last week, answering more questions concerning the Eivissa Centre bribery scandal which is dogging both political parties. It now appears Mayans holds the key to finding out what really happened during several meetings between leading political figures, and which resulted in tape recordings being made which launched this spectacular bribery scandal case over a year ago.
During her two hour appearance Mayans claimed the Partido Popular, the opposition party, which has remained surprisingly quiet during the entire affair, were assured 3.6 million of the profits of the project would be used to reform the old military building.
Mayans said that during a meeting in a bar in Playa den Bossa between all of the then councillors, the head of Brues, Antoni Pinal, the company in charge of the project, assured all present that he was personally dealing with the PP party.
However, despite the confession from Mayans that she was present at several meetings with other PSOE-party members where the matter was discussed, she will be re-called by the judge after technical difficulties made it impossible to listen to the tape recording made of some of the conversations.
Outside court Mayans commented that she had told the truth to the judge in order to put an end to the scandal which was damaging leading figures of the party and, more importantly, the party itself. She also disclosed her disappointment that she had not received the full support of the party, and was asked in some quarters to consider her position within the PSOE. She continued that she was complying with the law and would continue to do so.
The judge said he would not be calling the president of the Island Council, Xico Tarres, as a witness for the time being, but a number of PP members were set to be summoned after these newest revelations.

Marina Reforms
The new plans for Marina Ibiza, the port previously known as Ibiza Nueva on the outskirts of the capital, were revealed last week. The idea is to re-organise the current layout, which it is hoped will ensure boats of up to 55 metres are able to use the facilities.
All smaller boats will be transferred to the northern part of the marina, whilst in the southern part the five jetties will be reduced down to two, to ensure more larger boats are able to access the marina. Until now boats over 40 metres in size have been unable to use the facilities.
The managing director of Marina Ibiza, Daniel Mari, explained that no one would be excluded from the installations, but insisted a reorganisation was needed in order to make the marina more efficient. He confirmed the work would take a total of 14 months and would be carried out during the next two winters, starting on 1st October.
However, the big news is that El Divino club is going to be turned into a social centre for those using the marina. Mari confirmed that once the work had been completed on the outside part of the marina, attention would turn to the nightclub. The plans include turning it into a members club which will include a swimming pool, spa, gymnasium, conference centre, nautical library and a restaurant.

SAN ANTONIO
Water Deal
The Town Hall of San Antonio has finally reached an agreement with the Balearic Government to supply the town of San Rafael with desalinated municipal water. Bizarrely the pipes taking water to and from the purifiers of Ibiza Town and San Antonio both pass through the town, but due to the fact a connection and deposit have never been built, the town has remained a dry-spot. However, this will now change, with the Town Hall also promising to buy one million cubic metres of water per year until 2012, as part of the deal to help supply the island. It is hoped all of the other municipalities will also follow suit, and make a similar commitment.
The bad news was later revealed by the councillor for public services, Joan Pantaleoni, who said these new moves would mean price rises from next year. Household users will be forced to pay around 5.5 per cent more, whilst commercial premises will see a 3.31 per cent rise, while the biggest increases have once again been saved for the hoteliers who will see their bills rise by 7.17 per cent.
The following day the Balearic Government confirmed they had reached an agreement with the other Town Halls on the island, which will see them buying a total of six and a half million tonnes of purified water during the next three years. This will provide the administration with the necessary finance to improve the distribution further on the island.

Obstacle to Be Removed
In a meeting held on Friday the Town Hall ordered the barrier, which is currently in place close to Cala Saladeta, to be removed. The gate was installed, without permission, by the owner of the land and prohibits access to the small beach. The barrier will now have to be removed this week, or technicians from the Town Hall will forcibly remove the obstacle.

SAN JOSE
Bossa Facelift
Thursday saw the first meeting between the authorities and businesses concerning the plans for converting Playa den Bossa into a 21st Century resort. The meeting was chaired by the Island Councillor for business development, Joan Serra Mayans, who said he was delighted by the presence of so many business owners in the area. Amongst those at the meeting was former Foreign Minister, Abel Matutes, whose family owns the Fiesta hotel group who have a number of important units in the area. Also present was his cousin Pedro Matutes, owner of the Sirenis hotel group, as well as the president of the Hotel Federation, Joan Riera, and the owner of Space nightclub, Pepe Rosello.
The Island Council announced an ambitious plan to revamp the fortunes of an area which has become tired over the last five years, just weeks after winning the 2007 elections. They immediately claimed they wanted as much input from local businesses as possible about what actually needed to be done.
Serra Mayans confirmed the visit of the minister for tourism at national level, Joan Mesquida, in September, which is when subsidies would be discussed, although he has already promised around 30 million for the project.

SANTA EULALIA
Boating Accident
A man was seriously injured on Thursday after his boat ran aground in cala San Vicente. The 65 year old man suffered a blow to the jaw on the 12-metre vessel Sea Delight, which had just arrived from Barcelona. The cause of the accident is still unknown.
The injured man was picked by sea-rescue, with the help of a helicopter which flew in from Valencia. He, and his companion who only suffered minor injuries, were taken to Santa Eulalia and from there to the private hospital, where the seriously injured man remains.
The accident occurred on the same day a helicopter was called to rescue an excursionist from the sa Sal Rosa area. The 45 year old woman left on a walking trip with a friend from Playa den Bossa during the late morning. At around 4 p.m. the lady become unwell and called the emergency services pleading for help. It was decided, due to the rocky nature of the area, that an air rescue was the only course of action. After the successful operation the woman was taken to Can Misses hospital, where she is recovering from her ordeal.

Moped Blaze
Police in Santa Eulalia were said to be investigating a fire they believe was started intentionally. The blaze, on the corner of calle Coronel Costa Ribas, led to four mopeds being destroyed. The incident began at around 6 a.m. on Thursday, and although initially the officers managed to control the flames using fire extinguishers, the fire service was also called to ensure it was properly put out.

FORMENTERA
Ferry Discounts
The president of the Island Council, Jaume Ferrer, announced an agreement had been reached on securing non-EU residents with a 50 per cent discount on travel between Formentera and its larger neighbour, Ibiza. Until now this sector has been forced to pay the full price.
The moves come after months of protesting by most residents on the island, both EU and non-EU, who saw the current legislation as discriminatory. There are around 1,100 non-EU residents living on the island.
The discount will be subsidised by the Balearic Government (39 per cent) and the ferry companies (11 per cent) operating the service. Ferrer said he was glad an agreement had been reached, and agreed with the protesters that the previous regulations had been unfair. He added that non-EU residents pay their taxes like all other islanders and should be entitled to some kind of reduction.
However, the discount falls some way short of that offered to EU residents on the island who currently pay just 11 per cent of the standard ticket price. Fifty per cent of this is paid for by the National Government, with the other 39 per cent being picked up by the Balearic Government. Ferrer claimed that if an agreement could be reached with the National Government, the full discount could soon be available, with the ferry companies withdrawing the subsidy offered at the moment. The new 50 per cent discount should be available by 1st January 2009.
Meanwhile, in other news, the councillor for the environment, Silvia Tur, announced the possibility of giving free access to residents on the island, to the Natural Park
A barrier was built at the beginning of the season to control access to the area, which, according to the Island Council, is turning out to be a huge success. Cars were charged 4 to enter the area, with mopeds paying 2. When there are no parking spaces left access is closed and works on a strictly one in, one out basis. During its opening month a total of 8,000 cars gained access to the area, along with 30,000 mopeds.
In addition two electric micro-buses are now running between different points in the area to allow visitors to leave their vehicles outside the protected area.

Redesigned Kennels
The councillor for the environment on the island, Silvia Tur, announced a new boarding service for dogs at the state-run kennels. She revealed that a recent investment of 30,000 had enabled the Council to build new changing rooms for staff, create a special area for sick or problematic dogs and, most importantly, the implementation of the new service which will offer boarding facilities.
The maximum stay per animal will be three weeks, at a cost of 5 per day.

CRIME & INCIDENTS
Drugs Chase
Police recovered over 1,000 ecstasy tablets in the early hours of Friday morning after a high-speed chase through the town.
Officers first noticed two men on mopeds acting suspiciously close to the West End of San Antonio. On seeing the police car the two bikes sped off the wrong way down a one-way street, followed by the officers. Although both managed to escape the clutches of the law, one of the men was forced to abandon his moped in a backstreet.
On searching the bike police found various documents and a box containing a bag with 1,017 pink, heart-shaped ecstasy tablets. All of the loot was handed to the Guardia Civil for further investigation.
The tablets were similar to those found on a British youth in the West End area of town the previous night. He was arrested and due in court this week.

Hotel Fire
A fire in the Bahamas Hotel in Playa den Bossa forced the evacuation of staff and guests, on Tuesday. The blaze began just before midday at a pool-side bar. The kiosk where the blaze started is about 150m2 in size and made of wood, which intensified the inferno. Although there was still no official word on how it started, sources close to the hotel believed the fire began after a deep fat fryer suffered a short-circuit.
The flames were quickly brought under control by firemen. However, hotel staff had already ordered the evacuation of the premises as a precaution, due to the large amount of smoke produced by the blaze.
There were no reported injuries, although one woman did have to be attended to after suffering an anxiety attack.

BP Robbery
A man accused of a violent robbery committed earlier this year has claimed he does not remember anything about the incident. The attack took place on 4th April as the man, armed with a knife, entered the BP station at the entrance to the capital and demanded all of the money from the cashier. He then locked her in a room and stole 380.
The man was arrested several days later when leaving his home, after fingerprints were taken at the scene and the cashier identified the suspect.
The defendant claims he was a manic depressive at the time, after spending years in jail. He said he had been on a cocktail of cocaine, heroin and anti-depressants and does not remember anything about the incident. If found guilty, the man could face up to 5 years in prison.
The trial continues.

Hit and Run
A British visitor to the island had a lucky escape last week after his car was hit by a reckless diver whilst driving on the Jesus-s´Estanyol road. Despite causing considerable damage the car in question made a quick getaway from the scene of the accident, leaving the shocked victim helpless. The car was a white golf convertible, with the last three letters of the Spanish number plate CVF. The driver was in his mid to late 30s, tanned and with fair hair. If anyone has any information could they please contact us here at the office.

Serious Crash
A collision between two cars close to the airport left four people seriously injured on Tuesday evening. The accident occurred at the La Ponderosa exit to the Ibiza-San Jose road at 7.45 p.m. Initial reports showed the accident was caused by one of the drivers becoming distracted. This led to a head on collision between a Fiat Punto and a Seat Leon.
The latter was being driven by a 29 year old Spanish man who police believe was acting as an illegal taxi. He suffered a broken collar bone and ribs. The three passengers, all British, were rushed to the private hospital, Nuestra Senora del Rosario, one in a serious condition with a ruptured spleen and abdominal damage.
The driver of the other vehicle, however, came off worst, and was taken to the intensive care unit suffering severe head injuries, although by the end of the week his condition was described as stable.

10th Floor Fall
A 32 year old Senegalese man miraculously survived a fall from his 10th floor apartment on Tuesday. The incident occurred just before 10 a.m. at the Portus Magnus building in San Antonio.
His family claimed he had been depressed about his economic difficulties for a while, not helped by the fact that the company in charge of building the bus station in San Antonio had not paid him for working on the site over two years ago.
However, the family was quick to rule out suicide, although it was still being contemplated by police officers.
The man had been inside the apartment, which he shares with his three brothers, just moments before, explaining to one of them his desire to go back to Senegal to be with his wife and two children. Moments later he went onto the balcony and fell.
He was rushed, firstly to the Galeno Clinic, and then on to the private hospital where he underwent a four hour operation to save his life. As we go to print he remains in a critical, yet stable condition.

Party Raided
Police in San Antonio put a stop to an illegal after-hours party taking place at the exclusive Pikes hotel on Tuesday. Officers became aware of the proposed fiesta the previous day and went to the hotel at 7.30 a.m. to see if it was in fact going to take place. Police found a large number of people attending the event and one arrest for possession of drugs was made.
The hotel has now received an official denuncia which will be processed in the coming weeks. The organiser of the event used the Cocoon logo to market the event, which he later admitted he had utilized without permission from the official promoters of the night which is celebrated weekly at Amnesia.
For its part the hotel printed a public notice in the Diario de Ibiza the following day claiming there were no after hours parties in its establishment, and apologising for any inconvenience the situation had caused

KM5 Robbery
Thieves made it away with 80,000 last week, after stealing a safe from the popular bar, KM5. The robbery took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Officers believe the door was broken down with a chair. The culprits then went straight for the safe, which weighed around 500 kilos, and transported it using a trolley. It was then loaded into a van, before they made their escape.
So far no arrests have been made, although officers believe the slickness of the operation could mean it was somebody who knew the layout of the bar and the exact location of the safe.

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By modern day standards Ibiza is an extremely safe place to holiday. This is a weeks worth of news and so its effect is magnified. Please do not fret while you are here - you are quite safe!!

If you have any stories for our incidents section then call or fax 971-348-271 or e-mail on: editor@theibizasun.com