venues

Brits heading on Ibiza holidays to enjoy the island’s world-famous clubs, bars and boat parties are being warned of a simple scam that’s leaving them out of pocket

Brits heading to Ibiza this summer to make the most of its epic boat parties are being warned of a common scam that could leave them out of pocket, staring at an empty dock.

Ibiza Town is famous for its epic nightlife from the packed clubs and bars to boat parties where revellers can soak up the views and sunshine while listening to live music and DJ sets. However, one insider has warned that Brits planning Spain holidays should stay vigilant when trying to make the most of the atmosphere.

James Smith, founder of Learn Spanish with James, has spent years living on the White Isle and witnessed countless tourists fall victim to elaborate cons. His warnings come after Spanish islands fear Brits won’t return as tourists are dealt another blow.

Have you been caught out by one of these Ibiza scams? Email us at [email protected].

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“Living in Ibiza opened my eyes to how sophisticated these scams have become.” He said. “The operators know exactly what buttons to push with British tourists, so they’ll promise VIP treatment, exclusive access, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But there are always telltale signs if you know what to look for.”

He adds that boat party scams “have exploded in recent years”. Fraudsters set up websites and social media pages to promote incredible events complete with celebrity DJs, unlimited drinks and VIP packages. Only, these events are completely made up; when people turn up to the docks or venues, there’s nothing there.

James warned: “These scammers are getting smarter with their online presence. They’ll steal photos from legitimate boat parties and create convincing websites. But when you turn up at the supposed departure point, there’s no boat – and no refund.”

He urged Brits to keep an eye out for red flags such as vague meeting locations, requests for full payment upfront via bank transfer, and reluctance to provide official booking confirmations or company registration details.

It’s also worth noting that in recent years, Ibiza officials have introduced strict rules around boat parties in a bid to crackdown on unruly tourists. This includes a ban on party boats sailing within one nautical mile of a number of towns on the island, with captains also prevented from picking up and disembarking passengers in the regions.

Other common scams according to James include approaching tourists with ‘discounted’ tickets to clubs such as Pacha or Amnesia.

“They’ll show you what looks like a genuine ticket and claim they can’t use it,” he explained. “The story is always the same: they’re leaving the island early, their friend cancelled, or they double-booked. But these tickets are either completely fake or already used.”

If they won’t let you check the ticket or refuse to provide contact details, be wary. They may also use high pressure tactics such as telling you someone else is interested.

Meanwhile if you’re promised unlimited drinks and queue skips, proceed with caution, especially if you’re being approached in the street. “The legitimate venues don’t work this way,” James pointed out. “Real clubs sell their own packages through official channels. These street sellers are either selling fake vouchers or massively overcharging for basic entry.”

You can find out more on learnspanishwithjames.com.

The organising committee for the Los Angeles Olympics says some deals are already in place for the 2028 Games.

Organisers of the Los Angeles Olympics will sell naming rights for a handful of its venues in deals expected to bring multiple millions of dollars to the 2028 Games while breaking down the International Olympic Committee’s long-sacrosanct policy of keeping brand names off its arenas and stadiums.

The organising committee announced the landmark deal Thursday, saying contracts were already in place with two of its founding partners – Honda, which already has naming rights for the arena in Anaheim that will host volleyball, and Comcast, which will have its name on the temporary venue hosting squash.

LA28 chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman said revenue from the deals goes above what’s in LA’s current $6.9bn budget.

He portrayed the deal as the sort of paradigm-shifting arrangement that Los Angeles needs more than other host cities because, as is typical for American-hosted Olympics, the core cost of these Games is not backed by government funding.

“We’re a private enterprise responsible for delivering these games,” Wasserman said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s my job to push. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win every time we push, but it’s our job to always push because our context is pretty unique.”

Wasserman said he also spent time explaining to IOC members how arena and stadium names are part of the lexicon in US sports.

“People know ‘Crypto’ as ‘Crypto,’ they don’t know it as ‘the gymnastics arena downtown,’” Wasserman said of the home of the Lakers, Crypto.com Arena, which will host gymnastics and boxing in 2028.

Rights for up to 19 temporary venues could be available. The IOC’s biggest sponsors – called TOP sponsors – will have the first chance to get in on the deals. Wasserman said no venues will be renamed – so, for instance, if organisers do not reach a deal with SoFi (opening and closing ceremonies, swimming) or Intuit (basketball), no other sponsor can put its name on the arena.

Not included in this new arrangement are the LA Coliseum, Rose Bowl and Dodger Stadium, some of the most iconic venues in a city that hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984. Organisers said IOC rules that forbid advertising on the field of play will still apply.

The deal adds to a growing list of accommodations pushed through for Los Angeles, which is once again poised to reshape the Olympic brand, much the way it did in 1984.

In 2017, the city was bidding for the 2024 Games against Paris, but agreed to instead host the 2028 Games. It was part of a then-unheard-of bid process that rescued the IOC from the reality that cities were becoming reluctant to absorb the cost and effort to bid for and host the Summer Games.

Olympic watchers viewed the return of softball and baseball for 2028, along with the introduction of flag football, with help from the NFL, as changes that maybe only Los Angeles could have pulled off.

LA will also make a major scheduling change for the Olympics Games, moving track and field to the opening week of the games and swimming to the end.

Wasserman said the organising committee’s position as a private entity plays a major role in its relationship with the IOC.

“We spend the time, we do the work, we make the argument, and we don’t settle for a ‘No,’ because we don’t have that luxury,” he said.

L.A.’s plan to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games was already facing a thorny set of challenges, including the scramble to secure lucrative sponsorships and the search for buses to shuttle athletes and spectators across the region.

Now, organizers could soon be faced with yet another threat: a proposed ballot measure that, according to city officials, could force at least five Olympic venues to go before voters for approval.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel and restaurant workers, filed paperwork in June for a ballot measure requiring L.A. voters to sign off on the development or expansion of major “event centers” such as sports arenas, concert halls, hotels and convention facilities. The measure takes aim not just at permanent projects but also temporary structures, including those that add more than 50,000 square feet of space or 1,000 seats.

Former City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who heads Mayor Karen Bass’ Office of Special Events, identified five Olympic venues that could be subjected to a citywide election, including the Los Angeles Convention Center, the John C. Argue Swim Stadium in Exposition Park and the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley, which is set to host skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball and other competitions.

“The proposed measure would make vital projects essential for our city and these Games potentially impossible to complete,” Krekorian said in a statement to The Times. “It would also require costly special elections before even relatively small projects could begin.”

A representative for LA28, the nonprofit organizing the Games, declined to confirm whether any Olympic venues would be affected by the proposal, saying only that it is monitoring the situation.

Unite Here has billed the proposal as one of its responses to a business group that is seeking to overturn the so-called Olympic Wage passed by the City Council in May, which hikes the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour in 2028.

The union has not begun gathering signatures for the proposal, which is under review by the City Clerk’s office. If it qualifies, it likely wouldn’t appear on a ballot until June 2026. Nevertheless, it has already raised alarms at City Hall, where some elected officials have portrayed it as irresponsible.

Councilmember Traci Park, who represents coastal neighborhoods, said she fears the measure will force a citywide vote on an Olympic venue planned at Venice Beach, which is set to host road cycling, the marathon and the triathlon. She said it would also be more difficult for the city to attract new hotels and possibly expand its Convention Center.

“This is an absolute assault on our local economy. It’s spiteful and politically motivated,” she said.

Park, who voted against the $30 tourism minimum wage, has been at odds with Unite Here for more than a year. Councilmember Tim McOsker, whose 2022 election was backed by Unite Here and who supported the minimum wage hike, also voiced concerns, calling the proposed ballot measure “an attack on workers.”

McOsker, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles, said he believes the proposal would force a vote on a plan to create a temporary viewing area for Olympic sailing at Berth 46 in San Pedro. He also fears it would trigger a citywide election for a 6,200-seat amphitheater planned in San Pedro’s West Harbor, a project that is not connected to the Games.

“This is bad for people who build things, bad for people who operate things, bad for people who work in buildings like these,” he said. “[The proposal] harms real people and it harms the economy.”

Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11 and also a candidate for state Assembly, declined to answer questions about the criticism of the proposal. Two other Unite Here representatives did not respond to The Times’ inquiries.

The union’s proposal, titled “Ordinance to Require Voter Approval of Major Development Projects,” argues that sports arenas and other major event venues “do not always justify their cost.”

Unite Here spokesperson Maria Hernandez told The Times earlier this year that the proposal would apply to Olympic venues that reach a certain size, but declined to give specifics. She said it was not clear whether the ballot proposal would impede efforts to expand the Convention Center, saying in an email that “it depends on the timing.”

The ballot proposal would not apply to athletic venues planned by LA28 in other nearby cities, such as Long Beach, Carson, Inglewood, Anaheim and El Monte. As a result, L.A. could face the potentially humiliating prospect of hosting a Games where only a handful of venues are within city limits.

“If it makes it on the ballot, there are projects and events that will be moved out of the city of Los Angeles rather than trying to win at the ballot box,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., a business group.

The city’s future economic health could depend on the success or failure of LA28. Under its host agreement, the city would be on the hook for the first $270 million in losses if the Olympics end up in the red.

Critics have also voiced concern that the quadrennial athletic event could displace low-income tenants, particularly those who live near Olympic venues.

Voters should have been given the opportunity to decide whether L.A. should host the Olympics from the very beginning, said Eric Sheehan, spokesperson for NOlympics, which opposes the 2028 Games. Nevertheless, Sheehan voiced little enthusiasm for the union proposal, saying it doesn’t go far enough.

“What would be stronger would be the chance for Angelenos to vote on whether or not we want the Olympics at all,” he said.

The proposed ballot measure from Unite Here states that hotels can have harmful effects on a city, impeding the construction of new housing and creating a burden on social services. It goes on to offer similar warnings about large-scale development projects, saying they “often involve significant expenditures of taxpayer money” — an argument disputed by some city officials.

Those projects “may take the place of other projects that otherwise could have more directly benefited city residents,” the measure states.

Times staff writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen contributed to this report.