Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)By Wendy Williams
AN urgent awareness campaign is to be launched in a bid to stop the continuing fatal practice of “balconing”.
It comes after another incident on Sunday when a 26-year-old Italian plunged to his death from a 7th floor balcony at a hotel in Playa den Bossa on Ibiza.
Now, as the death toll reaches up to six people, with three times the number of “balconing” incidents to previous years, the Balearic Islands tourist association is to issue strong warnings to all visitors.
A new hard-hitting video campaign will have a similar impact to the graphic road safety adverts shown here in Spain.
Some steps have been taken to stem the growing tide such as raising the balcony railings.
And police forces are threatening to hand out fines of up to 300 euros and to have offenders sent home.
But the President of the Ibiza Hotel Federation, Juan Jose Riera, admitted that this phenomenon is very difficult to control.
He said: “We’ve got to try and do everything possible to prevent it happening.
“These young people think they’re heroes but they’re kamikazes.”
According to a survey of 6000 young British and German tourists who visited the Balearic Islands last year, 35 per cent were drunk at least every other night, and nine per cent had been sexually harassed.
Haven’t we had this one before?
Empty the pool every night.
Remove all balconies.
Push a trampoline over the balcony at night.
Put a crocodile in the pool every night.
I meant push a trampoline over the pool every night.