Another popular holiday destination for British tourists has become the latest to voice its anger at overtourism as thousands flock to its beaches this summer.
Following anti-tourism protests in Majorca over unaffordable housing and overcrowding, Ibiza is now following suit, with activists saying they’re “mobilising” to fight for change.
Ibiza is an extremely popular destination for British holidaymakers looking to party, but it also has stunning beaches perfect for a family getaway.Â
Its versatility brings in roughly three million tourists every year compared to its population of just 49,000, which can make locals feel like their home is being overrun with visitors.
lÃcia Aguiló, spokeswoman for activist group SOS Residents organising protests in Majorca, warned that Ibiza could be quickly following suit in terms of overtourism rallies.
She said: “They started in the Canaries. Now I see that in Ibiza they are beginning to mobilise. This is just the beginning. We will continue until politicians are willing to make changes.
“Our children have no chance of becoming independent, because rental prices are far above their means, even if they have an average salary. We are becoming poor workers without services.
“We can’t allow the greed of some to condemn our children to emigrate to have a decent life. The roads, beaches, bars and hospitals are saturated. Waste management is disastrous. Mega-polluting cruise ships are an attack that affects the air quality.”
Members of activist group Prou Ibiza, “Enough Ibiza” in Catalan, has been voicing their anger at the fact that locals can no longer affort to live on the island, forcing some to live in caravans.
Rafael Jimenez, a local police officer and spokesperson for the group, said: “We are not against tourism itself. We have nothing against the people who come and respect our island. A side effect of mass tourism is that house prices are rising.
“Everyone feels that everything is collapsing. More restaurants require more workers but these workers require places to live and there are ten looking for every place. There are nurses and police who live in caravans.”
Iván Fidalgo from the Association of Civil Guards in the Balearic Islands echoed this concern, warning that Ibiza’s public services are suffering as a result of overtourism.
He said: “They sell Ibiza as a first class resort, but it is not because it doesn’t even have the public services because there are not enough people to work in them,” he told Euronews Travel.
Despite these calls to crack down on tourists, Brits remain vital to Ibiza’s economy, accounting for 25 percent of all tourists visiting the island in 2023. The number of British tourists also rose by 7.8 percent last year.
This could put Ibiza in a difficult position financially if Brits are put off by the anti-tourist sentiment and decide to go elsewhere on the holidays.