Hotels In Ibiza Cut Prices In Survival Bid

Holiday island Ibiza seems to be attracting the celebrities for their holidays this summer, but the number of ordinary holidaymakers who haven't got quite the spending power of the celebrities visiting the island is down this summer and many Ibiza hotels have dropped rental rates in response - the hope is that dropping rates will lead to less of a loss than not being able to fill rooms at all.

Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, located about 80 kilometers off of Spain's coast. Ibiza has a rich and colourful history. It isn't for a history lesson that most tourists visit the island, however. Decades ago tourism promoters decided to market the island as a place to dance and party. The island is famous for its clubs, some raucous and infamous.

Ibiza was able to successfully portray itself as an endless party. The island is frequented by tourists who are mainly young people in their 20s and 30s. The island quickly became synonymous with more than just dancing and drinking. Ibiza currently battles prostitution and a thriving illegal drug trade to make the island more family friendly.

Authorities, business owners and tourism officials have made deliberate efforts in recent years to clean up Ibiza's shady image. The law has cracked down on the trafficking and sale of illegal drugs. Some towns have imposed mandatory closing times for local clubs and bars to shed the 'party all night long' image. By-laws have been passed or are in the works to legislate the types of new Ibiza hotels that can be built. Many are even requiring that all new hotels be five-star only.

The new Ibiza hopes to emerge with a cleaner image. It plans to market itself as a place full of heritage and cultural activities. It has made efforts to attract more families. More family style attractions are being built. Ibiza hotels are offering better family rates to encourage bringing the kids along on holiday.

Ibiza was just starting to shed its raucous party image when the recession hit. Families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford travel to the island despite all that it has to offer them. Besides the worldwide recession, the depreciating British pound is also keeping regulars away.

It's something of a vicious cycle. Airlines have been forced to cancel some flights to the island because there are too few visitors to fill flights to Ibiza. Fewer visitors are landing in Ibiza, but the number of hotel rooms has remained the same - hotels in Ibiza have had to become creative and highly competitive in drawing those few tourists into their hotels.

Many hotels have simply slashed prices across the board. Most, though, have created gimmicks targeting specific types of tourists. Many have offered special deals aimed directly at British tourists. Still others have tried to recapture the family visitors by offering special prices for families. Some have offered free stays for children accompanied by an adult. Others are offering free room upgrades. Still others are giving four or five day trips for the price of three.

What the figures will show for Ibiza at the end of the summer isn't known yet, but it doesn't look too good - and some holiday companies are saying that winter holidays across the board are down by over 20 per cent too.

The hotels in Ibiza must simply keep the deals fresh and hope that it will be enough to lure holidaymakers back to the once popular island for the 2010 summer.

Hotels and other Ibiza holidays information including Ibiza villa holidays can be found at youribiza.net