Ibiza Island
Ibiza (official name in Catalan: Eivissa), home of sCUBA cOLLEGE iBIZA; is an island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. Its largest cities are Ibiza Town (Catalan:Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila), Santa Eularia des Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa or Sa Talaia, is 475 m above sea level.
The island is well-known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Though some dispute the islands ability to attract higher income families in large numbers, due to a lack of professionalism in the hospitality and service sector, the island is keen to dispel its image as merely a destination for young clubers. Ibiza is also home to the legendary "port" in the district of Ibiza, a popular stop for many tourists and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ibiza is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightlife centered around two areas:pito Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni to the West. Well-known nightclubs are Privilege, Eden, Es ParadÃs, Amnesia, Space, Pacha, Underground, Gala Night and DC10. During the summer, the top producers and DJs in dance come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house, trance and techno genres of electronic dance music.
Since 2005 live music event Ibiza Rocks has helped to redefine the Ibiza party landscape. Bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Prodigy and the Kaiser Chiefs have played in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel. For the last 3 years the UK's BBC Radio 1 has focussed its Ibiza Weekend broadcast from the venue and as a result the island is now seen as a more diverse place that is not only about Sex and drugs.
The season traditionally begins at the start of June with Space and DC10's opening parties and finishes on the first weekend of October with the Closing Parties. A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises". Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehavior from young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet "Gomorrah of the Med". Also well-known is Café del Mar, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla. That and other bars close by have become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, hosting popular DJ performers.
The island's government is trying to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene, passing rules including the closing of all nightclubs by 6 a.m. at the latest, and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star. The administration is wanting to attract a more international mixture of tourists.
Though primarily known for its party scene, large portions of the island are registered as U.N. World Heritage Sites, and thus protected from the development and commercialization of the main cities. A notable example includes "God's Finger" in the Benirràs Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites. Because of its rustic beauty, companies and artists alike frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots. A monument ("The Egg") erected in honour of Christopher Columbus can be found in Sant Antoni: Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.
Find more information on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibiza