Tourism promotion of Ibiza Island (Spain): Actions and plans of public administrations

Abstract Ibiza has been a world-famous island tourist destination for half a century. The aim of this paper is to review the past and present promotional actions that have been adopted to develop the island’s brand image. This paper is a case study divided into two parts: the historical evolution of local tourism and promotion, and the main actions currently being adopted by public administrations, particularly the Ibiza Island Council. Despite some prior activity, it was not until the 1930s that the tourism industry began to organise for commercialisation. The public administrations did not take significant action until the 1960s, and the main impulse for the promotion of tourism came from media coverage of hippies arriving on the island. Currently, the Island Council takes care of the promotion of the Ibiza tourism brand and organizes various promotional activities. The article’s main conclusion about the current promotional actions is that there are prioritized types of tourism that allow for de-seasonalisation and attracting more sustainable types of tourism — but the actions adopted by the public administrations are still very conventional and not very innovative, a risk that tourist destinations must avoid.