Ibiza Stats – Winter 12

The recent freezing cold spell's snow and ice saw 3 tonnes of salt from Ibiza's famous Salinas salt pans (photo) used on the island to make conditions safer. The director of the salt factory said it was only the second time in 10 years that the product had been used domestically – 2 tonnes on the roads and 1 tonne at the airport.

Passenger numbers were up at the airport in the first month of the year when compared with January 2011. A slight increase of 0.7% - 101,000 passengers in total – landed and departed from Es Codolar International, which is good going as both Mallorca and Menorca both suffered 10% losses. Strangely, the number of flights actually decreased, and officials say that this year's flights were obviously fuller than before.

The natural reserves of Es Vedra, Es Vedranell and the 'Sunset' islands of the west coast of Ibiza celebrate their 10th anniversary this month. More than 11,000 people have visited the islands to study the flora and fauna which is now protected. The Balearics' Environment department has just announced that it will soon offer guided tours of Conejera island arriving by launch from San Antonio.