Students put Ibiza to the test
THUMBS UP FOR THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE, THUMBS DOWN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
A group of school students from Austria, Germany and Ibiza
have been studying sustainable tourism since March 2012.
The initiative is being supported by the European exchange programme
Leonardo which, alongside preparing students for careers
in hotel and tourism, aims to support cultural exchange
and improve students English vocabulary. Students from the
Institut Isidor Macabich in Eivissa, from the Austrian School
for Tourism in Salzburg-Bramberg and the German Wittmund
Technical College in Ostfriesland were participating in
the project.
In mid-October, the programme’s 18–23 year old participants
visited Ibiza. For five days they travelled not as tourists but as
critical environmental and tourism inspectors. Together they
discovered Dalt Vila, Es Amunts, the Ses Salines nature reserve,
the desalination plant, went paddling with kayaks in Talamanca
Bay, admired the sunset from the coast at Ses Variades, got an
impression of the west end in Sant Antoni and the party scene in
Platja den Bossa, the Ushuaia music hotel and the Space disco.
They gave a presentation of their experiences and discoveries at
the club Diario de Ibiza, which the tourism councillor, Carmen
Ferrer, attended.
The politician heard more than just praise: there were some
areas which the tourism experts-in-the-making had to complain
about: for example, the lack of cleanliness in towns, beaches,
forests and on the streets. The unwillingness of both private in-
Students put Ibiza to the test
dividuals and companies to recycle also drew criticism. In addition,
the students remarked that a greater police presence was
needed to reduce the drugs scene and noise from clubs and discos.
They would also have liked to see more information signs
and greater protection of the sea grass fields. They were pleasantly
surprised by the good climate and beauty of the natural
landscape. They were amazed that the tourist season was over
by the end of September. The group’s verdict – tourism produces
a lot of money, but also a lot of litter.
The group will meet up again at the end of January in Bramberg,
Austria, where they will be able to see for themselves the
negative aspects of ski tourism. The students have already
visited Wittmund in Germany, says Margarita Ribas, project coordinator
at the Institut Isidor Macabich. During their trip they
stayed in Esens and visited the Langeoog island and the national
park at Wattenmeer. Here they also came face to face with serious
environmental problems: for instance, the construction of
the largest harbour in Europe, spurred on by trade with Asia,
which was endangering a nature reserve and part of the sea
where whales still live. In May 2013 the students will give a final
presentation in Germany on whether, and how, sustainable
tourism is possible in Germany, Austria or on Ibiza. The first conclusions
had already been drawn while still on Ibiza: “Sustainable
tourism is possible, provided politicians are interested and
money is invested.”
