The British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has thanked local authorities, hotels, leading nightclubs and holiday companies in the Balearic Islands for their efforts to encourage young Britons to have safe and enjoyable holidays this summer.
The UK travel industry’s #TakeYourPic campaign, aimed at 15 to 30 year olds, encouraged young visitors to Magalluf and San Antonio to choose between a #holidaywin and a #holidayfail. The campaign, widely supported by the hospitality and tourism sector in Majorca and Ibiza, was promoted through social media, posters and other materials. Despite an increase of 19,000 British visitors of all ages between June and August, the consulates in Palma and Ibiza dealt with fewer hospitalisations, detentions and cases of rape or sexual assault involving Britons aged between 15 and 30 than in the same period last year. There was also a marked decrease in balcony and other falls among the under-30s between June and August, from 13 cases in 2013 and nine last year to just three this year.
During the peak three months the consulates helped a total of 495 young Briton with issues ranging from lost or stolen passports to deaths – down from 516 last year. British Ambassador Simon Manley said: “Whilst it’s difficult to prove that the reductions in falls and cases of assistance are definitively the result of the #TakeyourPic campaign, fewer ‘holiday fails’ is good news for everybody. I’m really pleased to see so many local authorities and companies working together with us. We are already talking to Calvia and San Antonio town halls about next year. We would love to see even more companies and organisations getting involved. Encouraging young people to enjoy themselves responsibly means fewer problems for the tourist industry and a better reputation for the Balearic Islands, so it’s a ‘holiday win’ all round.”
Richie Prior, Director of Radio One Mallorca and Pirates Magalluf, said: “What’s great about the #TakeYourPic campaign is that it’s not just about finger-wagging and telling young people what to do. It simply highlights the consequences, both good and bad, that the choices you make while on holiday can have, leaving young people to decide for themselves.”
To help bring the campaign to tourists, more than 3,000 balcony stickers were distributed by the Palmanova and Magalluf Hotelier Association and the Ibiza & Formentera Hotelier Federation. Sebastián Darder, president of the former, added: “Our members are very impressed by the campaign and many displayed #TakeYourPic posters and balcony stickers throughout the summer. It is in all our interests to make sure our guests enjoy their holidays and stay safe.”
Local partners in #TakeYourPic this summer included:
Magalluf - Palmanova and Magalluf Hotelier Association, Guardia Civil Calvia, Pirates, Radio One Mallorca, Feel Magaluf, BH Mallorca and Street Angels. Ibiza: San Antonio Hotelier Association, Essential Ibiza, Ibiza Spotlight, Space, Pacha, Ibiza Rocks, Guardia Civil San Antonio, Guardia Civil Santa Eulalia and 24/7 Ibiza.
Companies and organisations that are interested in becoming #TakeYourPic partners can contact the British Consulates via @TYPMagaluf or @TYPIbiza on Twitter, or email spain.consulate@fco.gov.uk mentioning #TYP in the subject box. Supporters of #TakeYourPic in the UK include well-known names such as Club 18-30, Thomson ‘Scene’, STA Travel, the Post Office, easyJet, Cosmos/ Monarch, Jet2, ABTA, Magaluf Takeover/Mainstage Travel, Liverpool Airport, Ibiza Rocks Group, Ryanair, Gatwick Airport, Drink Aware, ABI and Superdrug.