Manager of Ocio de Ibiza, José Luis Benítez (Ibiza, 1969) is also director of institutional relations for Palladium Hotel Group. He represents the company in associations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Fomento de Turismo and the Federación Hotelera, as well as in town halls, Consell, Govern Balear and, if Abel Matutes Juan or Abel Matutes Prats cannot be present before the Ejecutivo central. On the desk of his office in the Matutes Group of Companies, mountains of papers and folders stand out, piled up during the days prior to the pilot test that took place in the Hard Rock Café hotel with the ‘Children of the 80’s’ party. A motor racing enthusiast, on a shelf hangs the pit passes of motorcycle and Formula 1 races of which he has attended in Catalonia, Monaco, Jerez and Valencia, as well as a couple of rally cars and toy GP motorbikes. For the photo shoot, he moved the portrait of his five-year-old daughter to be visible.
Benítez in his office.J.A. Riera
What is the dialogue like with the Govern?
Well, in particular the part that touches Ocio de Ibiza, perhaps because last year we were very responsible and decided, of our own accord, not to open. We took a step back, something that reached the Govern, while other associations in the sector demanded to be open. That was a before and after in the relationship.
Is there a sense of relief after the pilot test?
Yes, especially because the nerves are gone. We had a lot of tension, we wanted everything to go well because everyone was watching us. We knew there would be criticism, but we showed that everything worked. The best thing was seeing people’s faces that day, seeing how much fun they were having, how they were laughing and having fun again, dancing and jumping around. It turned out great.
” The idea was to start talking to the Govern from this weekend about the opening, but it has been delayed seven days after the outbreak in Mallorca”
What went better than expected?
The appeal we made for accountability. It was 10 out of 10, unbelievable. People behaved. When someone’s attention was called, they apologized and accepted it. It’s logical that we forget things, that we relax.
What didn’t go well and what do you think should be rectified?
Perhaps the choice of opening hours. We opened too early. And it was a very hot day. The public started to arrive later. But it was done that way because the test had to be held at a certain time in order to test how we could work. The ideal would have been a test from 9:30pm to midnight, but it didn’t fit in with this pilot test.
You and Abel Matutes, both father and son, were seen talking for a long time with the Balearic Minister of Tourism and Labour, Iago Negueruela. What did you convey to him and what did he convey to you?
I told him that we were demonstrating that the sector could be responsible and serve to stop the madness that is happening everywhere. I think Negueruela saw that people were responsible, that we were doing a lot of controls, he checked it himself at the door. In the morning we showed him how and where the PCRs were carried out. He was delighted.
Have you had any response yet, even if it is not official, about what decision the Government will take?
The idea was to start talking after this weekend to find out how we could work, but it has been delayed for seven days after the outbreak in Mallorca. We will meet again after July 11 with the Govern to tell us how to de-escalate, which we are sure that it will be slow, as in other sectors, in order the gradually reach normality in our sector.
That means an added delay. Maybe some venues will reconsider opening this year because, at the rate it’s going, maybe it’s not worth it.
It’s starting to get complicated. From thinking that we could start working at the beginning of July, we are now thinking that we might do so at the end of the year. It will be difficult for some of them to open if they only have August and September ahead of them. Some will reconsider.
Part of the pilot test is to follow up with the guests and those who took the antigen tests. Do you have any results yet?
We have to wait about 10 days to see all the results. Emergency Staff will contact those who took the antigen tests, which we did even for those who had only one dose. And for those who had both doses, we will send them an email to see if they have experienced a change in their health status. If so, we will inform Health authorities.