The first tourists are beginning to walk through the gates of the Mercat Pagès de Vila, after last year’s restrictions caused by the health crisis led to a drop in visits. Nevertheless, this market has many Ibizans as regular customers all year round although sales are highest in summer, when they start selling seasonal fruit.
The Mercat Pagès de Vila is already welcoming its first tourists of the season, who come to this local market to buy local produce. Even so, the sellers at the Ibizan fruit and vegetable stalls say that “they have not noticed any change in sales compared to last season”.
The seasonal market. TONI ESCOBAR.
José Planells, who has worked at one of the fruit and vegetable stalls for forty years, explains: “The season is at its best now. What’s more, the first tourists of the year are starting to show up at the Mercat”. As for any increase in sales compared to last summer, Planells assures us that “there is not much difference, because the Mercat Pagès is mainly frequented by people from the island”.
The seasonal market
Catalina Boned remembers her first years at the market with emotion. She has been selling produce from her own garden for a total of 48 years. “Those were the days when I started working here as a newlywed,” exclaims Boned as she slices a watermelon. The owner of another fruit and vegetable stall says: “It’s good that tourists come to the island, but they must always be very careful and respect health measures. Looking back on previous years, Boned says that “people buy less at the market than they did years ago. There is less money and many prefer to buy cheaper but poorer quality products”.
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