In many countries, including Spain, Germany and Britain, governments are now allowing clubs to host visitors without any vaccine checks, masks or distancing requirements. And although the pandemic is not yet over and a new variant could appear at any time to spoil the fun, European clubbers seem ready to relive the days when no one had ever heard of Covid-19.
The return of clubs has brought relief to many workers in the nightlife sector, which has been particularly hard hit. Before the pandemic, 45% of the gross domestic product of the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, came from tourism, for which clubbing is a major draw. In the first half of last year, tourism spending in Ibiza and the neighboring island of Formentera was less than a third of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Statistical Institute of the Balearic Islands.
Ocio de Ibiza, a local nightlife association, estimates that 30,000 people traveled to Ibiza last weekend to hit the clubs, a number comparable to a pre-pandemic opening weekend. Sanjay Nandi, the chief executive of the group that runs the big nightclub Pacha, said in an interview before the opening that ticket presales had exceeded those of previous years. Among the major clubs on the island, only one, Privilege, has not yet planned to reopen this summer.
“I know we are very lucky,” Nandi said, explaining that, like other clubs, Pasha had received help from the Spanish government in the form of a staff leave scheme. The company also received a loan of 18 million euros, or about $19 million, from the government’s Recapitalization Fund for businesses affected by the pandemic, and it was able to obtain income from its constellation of restaurants and restaurants. ‘other places. Nandi said the size of Ibiza’s main clubs – whose capacities range from around 3,000 to 7,800 – and their associated political clout have enabled them to weather the pandemic better than smaller venues. “Being bigger helps,” he said.
