Ibiza fears arrivals of offshore oil rigs

Category: Ibiza Tourism

Balearic islands worry about potential damage to tourism.

Hoteliers protest at ITB. Foto: fvw/Georg Kern

Controversial plans to drill for oil off Ibiza have outraged the Spanish tourism industry and generated a protest at ITB, overshadowing good bookings for the country so far this year. The central government in Madrid wants to approve plans to install drilling rigs about 40km from Ibiza. Oil multinationals believe there could be sizeable reserves close to the island, and Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy supports the project.

But on the Balearics, the tourist industry and residents have staged mass protests. At ITB, Dirk-Michael Sieper, head of the Ibiza Feeling hotel group, unfurled a protest banner in front of the Ibiza stand. Were worried about the ecological effects of oil exploration for tourism, said Sieper.

Carmen Ferrer, Ibiza tourism minister, said: We expect this project to fail.

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Ibiza fears arrivals of offshore oil rigs

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March 7th, 2014
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