Is Malta the new Ibiza?

The Maltese clubbing industry believes the country could well become the next Ibiza but with laws such as the 4 a.m. closing time such a possibility was rather bleak.

When contacted, people involved in the entertainment industry said laws should change if Malta was really vying to replace Ibiza, which, at the moment, is the place to go for clubbing.

The Independent of London ran an article headed Out Of The Way Grandma, Malta Is For Clubbers.

Forget Ibiza, Sarah Barrell wrote, Malta, traditional favourite of package holidaymakers, was now a magnet for Europe's young and restless. The writer sang the praises of Malta's thriving dance scene last summer, saying the island represented "superb value", with huge open-air clubs and big-name acts such as Tiësto and Deadmau5 highlighting Malta's ascension into the upper echelons of dance music destinations.

The article mentions the "12,000 local clubbers" that hit the dance floors at weekends in "the aptly-named Paceville" - establishing a new interpretation of the hamlet's name where, instead of the surname Pace or the Italian translation of "peace", "pace" refers to the fast tempo music ubiquitous in dance music.

But is Malta really on its way to become the new Ibiza?

According to DJ Ruby, "the clubbing and dance scene is at the lowest point it ever was". He said that, up until last summer, Malta was well on its way to become one of the world's top clubbing destinations. "The authorities are closing the door in our faces. Clubs have to close at 4 a.m. but the police are already coming in to tell us to lower the volume at 1 a.m. At this stage, I'm dreading summer," the popular DJ said.

"If things keep going this way, we're not going to become the next Ibiza. We're going to become the next Antarctica. They've got us on our knees" he lamented.

Event organiser Carl Farrugia, representing the international Ministry of Sound brand in Malta, said things were bleak.

"Last year, we even advertised our parties in The Times of London. This year, I don't think that will be the case. People don't want to go out early; they don't want the party to end at 2 a.m. We asked online. A lot of people said they would rather stay in than go to a party which was over early," he said.

"Things are working against us. All the pressure on the time events must end by, sound levels and the amount of policemen present for parties: Do we really need 30 officers for an event with 1,000 people," Mr Farrugia wondered.

Paceville was also struggling to keep up the pace, with Mr Farrugia saying that people he knew had to close down or convert their bars into gentlemen's clubs.

Eman Pulis, a promoter and organiser, called on the government to heed the call of the club industry and fix times.

"I think that, with some fine tuning, Malta can compete strongly with places like Ibiza in this niche market," the organiser said, adding, however, that the laws on closing times were in the way.

"I believe our product is different from Ibiza but the other facilities we have, such as the fact that our clubs have free entrance as opposed to Ibiza, our climate, our hotels, I believe we can fight Ibiza."

There were also many clubbers who wanted a change from Ibiza. Malta could be that change, he added.

When asked whether clubbers could possibly be a nuisance, Mr Pulis shot down the suggestion: "Most clubbers are in their 20s and their 30s. It is usually teenagers who are a nuisance on the streets."