“The sale of alcohol will be totally banned between 9.30pm and 8am in areas of “excessive tourism” in Mallorca and Ibiza, under a new decree passed by the government of Spain’s Balearic Islands”
These are the latest negative headlines to hit the UK press about Ibiza. Upon first reading you might assume that this refers to all establishments in San Antonio. It doesn’t. You might also assume it means all of San Antonio. It doesn’t.
For clarification. It only applies to a very small area and it’s for shops and NOT bars and restaurants.
The law has already been in existence for several years and only covers a couple of streets of the area commonly known as the ‘west end’. The law has been tweaked but nothing much has changed apart from the wording that makes it more specific and again for clarification it’s only the sale of alcohol in shops that is affected by it.
Bar owners have been rightly exasperated at the coverage and are at pains to reiterate that bars and restaurants will run exactly the same as before and customers can still drink and be merry but the headlines don’t say that. It’s a classic own goal by a Balearic government wanting to look tough when in reality nothing will much change.
And what’s more it’s totally unworkable. It’s not against the law to drink a beer from a can in one street but it is in another? It’s a nonsensical impractical law that’s designed purely to garner headlines and send a message. In other words the worse kind of law that sits on the shelf gathering cobwebs until it’s wheeled out twice a year to send a message that can’t be enforced because there’s no will or workforce to do it.
Playing devils advocate, Ibiza’s excessive side has always been there and does needs controlling but in proactive ways working with local businesses rather than arbitrary laws that prejudice a few and don’t get the to the root of the problem.
The islands relentless surge to a more lucrative market has only increased the fervor but it doesn’t take a sledgehammer to crack a nut especially one that screams negativity and sends exactly the wrong, and in this case, incorrect message.
Local police in San Antonio have enough to do over a busy summer tackling real crime such as organised theft, drug dealing in plain sight and illegal street selling. These headlines paint the picture of a swat team swooping in on an innocent tourist sipping a can of beer in the evening heat. A classic own goal!
1. This is a snapshot of the busiest 12 weeks in Ibiza, mainly focussing on negative issues. It’s all in the framing and there’s a scripted agenda here thats aimed squarely at BBC Three’s target audience of 16–34 year-olds.
2. Lots of basic inaccuracies (Cala Salada described as Cala Gracio, a marina full of luxury yachts that looks suspiciously like Italy but definitely isn’t Ibiza) only heightens the sense that this is going to descend into another one of ‘those’ Ibiza documentaries but let’s not let cold hard facts get in the way of a good story.
3. Zara McDermott, looking like a younger inquisitive Kelly Brook with a perma-frown comes across well playing to her Instagram audience by being obsessed with wealth, fame and celebrity with the occasional insincere wow and whoa.
She’s blown away by how the super rich enjoy their holidays but spoiler alert….it’s always been this way, it’s what made Ibiza famous in the first place but now it’s plastered all over her timeline whereas before it was behind closed doors. For some form of perspective she might want to spend a couple of days at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix or with the Las Vegas high rollers so she can see real wealth as opposed to her insta perceived wealth.
4. She rightly highlights the watch thieves, it’s a risk wearing an expensive watch anywhere these days but in Ibiza you run the risk of being targeted by an organised gang. Unfortunately it’s been happening for years but with the fashion of flaunting your wealth (good old insta again) the potential targets have increased tenfold.
5. Synopsis: A reality TV influencer interviewing other influencers about influencing plus wannabe influencers who are trying to break into influencing by talking to influencers. This might be aspirational for the 16-30 years olds but utterly depressing for anyone over the age of 40. No wonder you can’t get a plumber these days.
6. Bali, the money obsessed Only Fans model who rates dick pics, ‘designs’ a charcuterie board for 600 quid and is game for mostly anything as long as there’s a pay cheque in it, is charismatic (that’s why they cast her) and will appeal to the core audience (and her mum will appeal to their parents). It says a lot about a 21st century social media obsessed generation but not relevant to 99% of what is happening in the modern Ibiza.
7: Every story needs a bad boy (trust me I know), so step forward the shamelessly game but naive Faris who comes across as a gurning grubby hack preying on drunk youngsters letting their hair down on holiday. A modern day paparazzi with his hairdresser on speed dial, whipping out his camera phone and taking tawdry videos for the highest bidder and a content hungry generation, regardless of the very real implications.
Faris lives in a bubble and comes out with some classic sweeping statements that only highlight his ignorance such as “everyone’s always drunk out here”, “everyone in Ibiza loses their heads” and the glorious “I think people are idiots”. If I was running the West End he would be persona non grata but is there any such thing as bad publicity? San Antonio council might have a view on that so don’t be surprised if the authorities decide to check his legal documentation next time he’s out and about. The camera works both ways.
8. Drugs in Ibiza. NO WAY! SHOCK HORROR! As is usual on any ‘hard hitting Ibiza documentary’ (trademark), it might start out with good intentions but quickly switches to drugs, on a loop for 4 episodes when 1 would have been more than enough to get an important message across.
Drugs have always been an issue in Ibiza but if there’s a demand then there will be supply. It’s simple economics and this won’t change anytime soon but, as shown here, it’s the nice people who pick up the pieces.
Drugs are synonymous with the island (well said Mr Doris – the Balearic music scene was literally built on them) and there was nothing new to see here that hasn’t been said a thousand times before apart from inventive new ways of distribution.
A darkly lit tunnel for the drug dealer talk was pure theatre (she could have gone to any club VIP area) with a shady figure explaining that 50K a week (yeah right mate) is the upside or plenty of years in the slammer is the downside.
The big reveal that South American gangs control the drug trade is hardly a eureka moment but the first responders, especially the ambulance crew, are heroes fighting a losing battle every night of the summer due to the actions of mainly young tourists taking drugs for the first time. It’s a relevant message but it says more about modern culture than Ibiza.
Ms McDermott’s throwaway line that people are scared to talk about drugs is laughable, in the summer it feels like we talk about nothing else.
9. Tomas, the half English police officer, with his face hidden is a welcome voice of calm in a crazy world and should be given his own series. He’s been brought up on the island so has been exposed to everything Ibiza has to offer from an early age. Like most Ibiza born youngsters (my teenage children included) he’s been conditioned to think this is normality. The other side to growing up in ‘paradise’ and worthy of a documentary series in itself.
10. This programme isn’t here to tell the world about the positives of Ibiza. It’s pure click bait for those who judge everything on appearance. The thousands of families and ‘normal people’ who enjoy the island every summer without any drama will be scratching their heads wondering what hell is being depicted here where if you’re rich prepare to be robbed, if you’re poor don’t bother coming and most young people are on drugs or talking shit into a camera up the West End. Luckily outside of Zara’s influencer bubble the real people know the real story.
11. Zero collaboration with the islands big hitters (Hï, Ushuaïa, Pacha, Amnesia, Mambo, Ibiza Rocks etc) tells it’s own story so was this series sponsored by the O Beach Group whose businesses are heavily featured or are they the ones that really ‘get’ this generation?
Probably a bit of both as they can offer access all areas to a series focussed on their core British market. The feeling that it comes across as one big advertisement paid for by the British TV licence fee payer maybe justified but it’s clearly a quid pro quo.
The cat loving, bubbly Alis and her Faith team are fun viewing, the ever affable Tony Truman comes across well serving up some home truths with his cheeky smile but also not shying away from reality and the self styled Instagram King of Ibiza Wayne Lineker is mainly in the background but is as marmite as ever. Say what you want about him, Wayne’s heard it all before but he was an early adopter of social media and understands it’s power which is basically what this TV series and his businesses are built on.
12. Party Hard Travel is the modern day Club 18-30 with good looking, young inexperienced reps dealing with young clueless travellers – hence why they’re on an organised holiday (remember them?). Who’d have thought that young people binge drinking and taking drugs for the first time in the sunshine would lead to drama? In other words, nothing to see here.
13. Did we learn anything new? Ms McDermott certainly isn’t going to give Roger Cook (youngsters-look him up) a run for his money but she does highlight some of the ongoing issues that have dogged the island for decades and deserves credit for that. She may think that she has reinvented the wheel but for anyone over the age of 35, we’ve seen this template a hundred times before.
14. The tragedy of this social media obsessed docu-series is that the real story was there, right in front of Zara’s eyes but she was too busy concentrating on the bright lights, acrobats, luxury villas and Rolex watches to see it.
Ibizas lack of key workers, hence the police shortage had 1 line, the housing crisis leading to a village of tents (and the police’s empathy towards them – which told its own tale) took up mere seconds of the 4 episodes.
The disparity between the haves and have nots, not just in Ibiza but in most of the Spanish tourist hotspots is a ticking time bomb but Zara couldn’t see the wood full of tents for the trees. I thought her Gen Z audience are supposed to have a social conscience?
So instead of a grown up conversation and some hard hitting facts about how tourism is seriously affecting the eco-system on a human level we had dopey Declan, flouncing Faris and the all too easy option of drugs and more drugs on a loop for 4 episodes. In Zara’s world the influencers take precedence over the homeless.
Conclusion
It’s horses for courses and if you’re looking for a hard hitting documentary then this isn’t it but the bright lights and white sand of Ibiza always look great on the small screen. The access to the police, ambulance crew and first responders were fascinating and Ms McDermott did a good job of simplifying things for her audience about an Ibiza that doesn’t feature on her social media feed or her paid for holidays but that’s why they chose her, she appeals to the BBC Three audience.
It’s always a worthwhile message to explain the downside of excess to youngsters. Zara thought everything was shiny until she saw the other side but let’s be clear, there’s more danger walking down a London street in daylight and most of the things she highlights are irrelevant to the overwhelming majority as they go about the business of enjoying their hard-earned Ibiza holiday.
Ibiza will carry on regardless and in a few years time Zara and the producers will be in Santa Eulalia having an amazing time with their families, a million miles away from this portrayal, and the next social media savvy type will come along and present the same story with the same ending. Let’s hope one day someone will come along and present a more rounded portrayal of the White Isle but don’t hold your breath.
What’s billed as an exposé descends into a carbon copy of every other Ibiza documentary caught up in a frenzy of drugs and alcohol but now we can throw in the shallow world of social media, which can be just as addictive.
Ultimately it’s just a little bit of history repeating, this time rehashed, resealed and presented in a depressing light for the zoomer generation who, on the basis of this output, only care about the cost of everything and the value of nothing. A missed opportunity.
Nearly 17 years after work first started and with an investment of more than 27 million euros, Ibiza’s much lauded ‘Parador’ at the top of Dalt Vila is close to finally being finished
For those that don’t know a ‘Parador’ is ‘a state-owned luxury hotel located in an historic or modern building in a natural area with a special appeal or panoramic view of a historic and monumental city’. The World Heritage Site of Dalt Vila ticks all these particular boxes.
The crane that had been an eyesore on the top of Dalt Vila for so many years is now confined to history, the hotel is now in its final phase and slated to be completed in the next few months with an opening date of late 2024 or early 2025.
The Parador de Ibiza will have 66 rooms, be open all year round and will generate all year round employment and will hopefully contribute significantly to the economic revitalisation of the area.
The original Parador project was first unveiled in 2004 when it was announced that it would be built at the very top of Ibiza’s famous Old Town in an existing 16th century building that closed in the 1980s. The work has been exclusively funded by central government in Madrid after the local government signed over the rights.
In 2008 as the initial works started amid much fanfare the project soon uncovered archaeological remains which forced worked to be stopped at the end of 2012. The wheels continued to turn slowly and after much modifications to the initial project that significantly increased the budget, work finally resumed in December 2019. The long and complex process is now coming to an end and the much anticipated luxury hotel can finally open its doors to the public.
The complicated project also incorporates a car park directly below which is accessed by a tunnel that led some to question whether it was the entrance to Mordor rather than a luxury hotel.
Tunnel to Mordor?
Rosana Morillo, Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism recently viewed the Parador and was delighted with what she saw saying “We are celebrating because this will be one of the most emblematic of the network of Spain’s Paradors with incomparable architectural and technical characteristics” emphasising the investment made by the Spanish Government to “preserve the historical heritage of the jewel that is Ibiza.”
Meanwhile Ibiza Mayor Rafael Triguero reiterated the City Council’s willingness to advance the execution of joint projects that are “very important for our city and our historic neighbourhoods.” He also expressed his desire that Ibiza’s Parador open its doors as soon as possible, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Dalt Vila as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The silver lining to this drawn out affair is that the archeological discoveries will be the cultural centrepiece of the establishment celebrating Ibiza’s rich history and heritage. There will be 9 exhibits showcasing the findings open to the public plus a space to show other artefacts giving the hotel a museum feel.
The Parador de Ibiza should be a great addition to Ibiza’s move towards sustainable 12 month tourism. After nearly 2 decades in the making it will soon be time to see if it was worth the wait.
I have just returned from a last minute holiday to the south of Tenerife. I last visited 16 years ago when I had a business and property over there. Back in 2008 it was very much a middle of the road destination, great weather all year round, good connections from UK airports and reasonably priced accommodation with the usual Spanish hospitality.
2024 is a whole different kettle of fish. It’s busy and I mean really busy. The hotels are huge and a construction boom has joined up all the resorts that now feel very similar. Like Mallorca, it’s tourism on a massive scale and makes Ibiza look like the small island of fishing villages that it once was.
Talking to some Tenerife locals about how the island is progressing I had some interesting feedback.
•Too much emphasis on tourism
•The island is too busy
•the need for stricter rules for tourists
•Rents are soaring so people on average salaries cannot afford to live
There were camper-vans everywhere. Does this sound familiar? It would appear that Tenerife is having the same issues as Ibiza.
Anti tourism graffiti is daubed on walls. Reading through the press the back lash on tourism seems so be relatively small but noisy, similar to the Prou movement in Ibiza that peddle the same narrative. As we have seen in the UK with ‘Just Stop Oil’ it only takes a few hardened radicals to garner the headlines and control the narrative.
Ibiza’s Prou movement has been relatively quiet after their chickens came home to roost during the pandemic when their perceived Ibiza paradise became a reality with no clubs or dancing or busy bars and only natural and culinary pursuits to pique everyone’s interest. This paradise was actually a hell for many who suffered near financial ruin trying to prop up their businesses when travel became a dirty word
Love or hate tourism, the effects of the pandemic showed its necessity to the Spanish islands. Never in the history of Ibiza have the battle lines been so clearly drawn in the sand, without tourism the thriving Ibiza that we know today simply can’t function and zero growth means recession and socio-economic problems.
So I think we can all agree that Ibiza needs tourism to survive, 99% of all island industry relies on it but the pertinent questions are ‘what type of tourism is best and what is the capacity? There’s such a broad spectrum of businesses with different priorities so who gets to decide? The Spanish bar owner or Beach Club operator have different clientele.
Ultimately it’s the market that decides who and how many come to Ibiza. The profile of the tourist will be driven by the offer and if there’s demand then the airlines will increase capacity and hotels will edge up their prices. It’s no coincidence that Ibiza has the highest real estate and the most expensive hotel rooms in Spain.
The local government can control things by applying the law but unfortunately they don’t do that very well. Spanish rental laws favouring tenants make it a risky business for landlords to rent apartments to locals who have the right to stay for up to 5 years (7 years if renting from a company!) and if tenants don’t pay then it requires a costly and protracted court case to evict them.
So some owners continue to offer their apartments for short term rent on Airbnb and other platforms to avoid this risk and fund big mortgages because of Ibizas crazy house prices which are booming because of all the growth that the radicals hate.
Meanwhile Aena, the Spanish airports operator openly boasts of record arrivals without a hint of irony that the islands can’t cope and the effect it has on the local population.
Confused? Well you should be because unless there are some realistic solutions put forward by the authorities too afraid to upset powerful lobby groups then it won’t get better and the radicals that exist in Ibiza and Tenerife and Mallorca and Lanzarote and all those traditional holiday destinations will gather momentum again while choosing to conveniently forget what happened last time there was a catastrophic event to the tourist industry.
Social housing for public sector workers, housing laws that protect both sides with quick resolutions for non-payment, realistic agreements on peak times capacities, inspectors to actually inspect apartments that blatantly rent out accommodation on holiday platforms and disregard the local law. Is it too difficult to put an action plan together?
Or alternatively let’s blame tourism and vilify tourists in general when actually they are our greatest commodity and should be welcomed with open arms. It’s not their fault that the powers that be simply can’t get their act together.
Over our usual Friday drinks a big debate rumbled. A studio apartment in San Antonio bay had just rented for 900 euros PCM on 12 month contract. A couple of our crowd shouted the usual ‘greed’ and ‘scandalous’ adjectives but I completely disagreed, I think it’s a fair price in the current market.
It’s no a secret that there’s a rental crisis on the island due to the most simple of economics: high demand and very low to almost non existent supply.
To cut a long story short, there used to be plenty of apartments to rent but now there’s very few because of varying factors however the overriding reason (in my humble opinion) is that Ibiza is such a great place to live that all those summer apartments have been taken up by the new wave of residents in search of a better life. Why else has the Ibiza population doubled in the last 25 years?
Anyway I digress, back to the accommodation crisis and a reasonable price to pay for a studio in San Antonio bay. I am of the opinion that 900 euros per calendar month is a decent price in 2024. Now before all the ‘Ibiza winter residents’ start screaming at their screens you have to understand that the market decides on the price then the landlord decides if they want to do a deal by lowering it for friends or family or raising the price to maximise their earning potential.
This is where our debate became heated. It’s easy to shout ‘greed’ but since when did maximising on your investments become a crime punishable by ostracisation? The blame can’t be laid at the doormat of the private landlord (although the so-called ‘agents’ have a lot to answer for) they are simply following market forces. Their apartment that rented for 240 euros per month for 6 months in 1994 is now worth 1500 euros per month on a 12 month contract in 2024. You might not like it but that’s how it is.
Regardless of market forces the situation has become very serious for nurses, doctors, police and teachers who are finding it nigh on impossible to source reasonably priced accommodation that is in line with their salary. Given the upward trajectory of White Isle real estate we’ve known for the best part of a decade that this moment has been coming and finding a solution lies squarely with the local and Balearic government who’s job it is to fill these public sector spaces.
Many moons ago when I worked in London I was paid a ‘large town allowance’ to compensate for the high cost of living and I also lived in subsidised accommodation provided by my employer.
This is over 35 years ago and it’s not rocket science to apply the same thinking to Ibiza in 2024. The local governments need to stop shrugging their shoulders and find a solution because it ain’t getting any better anytime soon. Yes there’s lots of building going on in Ibiza at the moment but have you seen the price of new apartments? Eye watering!
Time to think outside of the box. Disused public buildings need to be converted into low cost accommodation and land needs to be procured to build housing specifically for public sector workers. It’s the only way the island will continue to function unless they can magic up 200 cheap apartments from private owners which won’t happen and why should owners lower the prices because the government can’t get organised.
We are almost at the tipping point and big problems need radical solutions. It’s time to stop berating private owners on social media and put pressure on the respective governments who continue to stick their heads in the sand refusing to acknowledge the severity of the problem.
If a realistic solution isn’t found then public services will dwindle away on an island with an ever growing population. That’s the real story here, 900 euros PCM for a studio just emphasises the urgency.
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The records keep tumbling in Ibiza, this time with figures showing that almost 9,000,000 people used Es Codolar Airport in 2023, the highest numbers since records began.
The stats show that 2023 saw an increase in passenger numbers of 9.5% compared with the previous year. To be more specific Ibiza airport handled a total of 8,931,598 passengers on 82,803 flights from 01 January to 31 December, It’s important to note that the figures represent arrival AND departure flights.
Breaking it down to nationalities, Spanish national traffic came out top again with 3,777,283 passengers, an increase of 10.5% while international flights registered 5,137,122 passengers, an increase of 8.9% year on year. Of these international passengers the British market accounted for 1,848,499 passengers more than doubling Italian flights with 905,224 bums on seats. German flights came in at 638,479 and the Dutch 611,408.
A positive stat for winter tourism shows that December saw 235,357 passengers use Ibiza airport on 2658 flights, an increase of 5.6% year on year. Although international travellers accounted for less than 10% with 22,127 passengers this still represented a significant rise of 20.3% from the previous year due to more direct international flights becoming available.
Maurici Lucena, CEO of AENA, the public body that manages Spanish airports gave himself a massive pat on the back commenting “these record figures in air transport are fundamental for the economic and social development of Spain. We should all congratulate ourselves for them. Also the airlines that, like AENA, suffered the harsh consequences of the pandemic, and are now transporting more passengers than ever.”
After 2 quiet Christmases I had the fortune to be in Barbados this past festive season.
As fate would have it I stayed in the same hotel as the last time I visited over 20 years ago. I was looking forward to kicking back and spending time on the beach with my family,
Barbados is very similar in size to Ibiza and there’s plenty of synergy between the 2 world famous destinations, not least as they are both reliant on tourism, so I was keen to see how much it had progressed since my last visit.
The Bajan atmosphere is ultra laid back, the vibe is friendly with tourists freely mixing in with the local population who clearly understand the food chain and respect the tourists (sometimes more than they should).
Unlike Ibiza, local transport is good especially the crazy minivans that pick up tourists and locals alike for a flat fee of around 1.75 euros, reggae music blasting out so much that your ears are popping and your head is banging. It’s all part of the fun and no attitude is ever shown towards tourists.
The Caribbean is all about the white sandy beaches and cocktails and Barbados never disappoints. After a couple of days of drinking Banks’ and Deputy (the local beers) I discovered the local rum punch which hit the mark like a ballistic missile to the brain, a couple of those babies and life is a whole lot easier.
So far so good however there is a slight caveat. Barbados hasn’t changed in 20 years. My hotel hadn’t changed, the surrounding area hadn’t changed. The airport hadn’t changed (still had the same mobile air-con units and slow moving security).
As comforting as this was it was also surprising. Maybe it’s the tourist geek in me or the guy who has witnessed his own island change so much but I was amazed. Is it a missed opportunity, laziness, corruption or a strict adherence to the rule of ‘if ain’t broke don’t fix it’?
The answer is probably a combination of all of the above and speaking to a few British ex-pats who live in Barbados it was clear that that’s how they like it. You don’t want to compare but comparison is a part of life and you can’t help it especially when you’ve worked in tourism for over 30 years.
There’s a lot to be said about the comfort of staying the same even when the world has moved on but it made me realise how much Ibiza has changed (some might say for the worse but I’m definitely not in that camp), it’s non-comparable from 2 decades ago. In Ibiza so much has changed, in Barbados nothing has changed.
There’s no right or wrong in this tale, just 2 islands of a similar size with 2 very different philosophies but seeing it first hand hammers home how much Ibiza has moved forward in the last 20 years. This brings its own challenges (housing, cost of living, pressures on infrastructure) and although the ageing hippies looking through nostalgic goggles still rue the day you couldn’t dance around naked and buy a beer for 20 pesetas the strength of the modern day Ibiza, whether you like it or not, is its unwillingness to stay the same.
Barbados retains that old money charm with a fractured infrastructure whereas Ibiza is like a lottery winner flashing the cash, all mouth and trousers but with a hard business edge, constantly moving forward because it has to. It’s merely responding to the needs of its expanding client base. More 5 star hotels, more quality restaurants, more days and nights options than ever before.
Barbados was a wonderful experience, drinking cocktails under the Caribbean sun with 3 generations of my family pottering around in the sand beside me. Travelling and seeing other destinations is the gift that keeps on giving even if only to appreciate what you have on your own doorstep.
Let’s start with the big elephant in the room, the taxi situation in Ibiza during the peak summer months is bordering on shameful. The politics of issuing new licences seems to be too complicated for the island council which needs to stop sticking its heads in the sand and come up with a workable solution that protects the family owned taxi businesses but doesn’t penalise the only commodity the island has, namely the tourists who are too often left on street corners frantically waving their hands in the air to any white vehicle that passes by. The introduction of Uber is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done so the pirates are squeezed out. There must be a middle ground somewhere, how about 8 week licenses for not inconsiderate sums of money which can then be invested into the poor local transport on the island?
Plastic waste
If you’ve travelled around Asia then you’ll be used to the sight of beautiful islands blighted with single use plastic piled high on the streets and on the beaches. Ibiza has taken positive steps and it consistently pushes recycling but it needs to become a way of life like it is in some European nations. If the island is to retain its natural beauty then more needs to be done with some serious thinking outside the box including incentives for reusables and ultimately a ban on single use plastic. The Balearic Islands need to be pioneers because quite simply they have to be.
Rental prices
With the risk of being controversial the rental prices are only half the problem, the other half is the disparity of low wages versus a high cost of living. The market decides the price but it’s becoming nigh on impossible for a hard working family to find a reasonably priced apartment which is a massive problem for the workforce that Ibiza needs to keep its product at the top of the tree. Throw in mass unemployment for 6 months a year due to seasonal work and the situation is complicated at best. The solution to affordable housing isn’t easy anywhere in the world but in Ibiza it’s more complicated than most. Who does the buck stop with, is it the employers or the local government because if it isn’t solved then Ibiza will become a soulless playground of millionaires and that would be very dull indeed.
Convivencia
This is the Spanish word for ‘coexistence’ and never stops being a thorny issue on the White isle. Who come first – residents or tourists? If you can answer this then you have solved the age old chicken and egg conundrum. The correct answer is that both are as vital as each other which means it’s a fine balancing act. Fortunately the pandemic blew away the hardline tourists haters who want to live in a guiri-free nirvana without jeopardy but they will be back sooner or later with convenient memory loss as to how much the island relies on the tourist euro. Ibiza has come on leaps and bounds but local laws need to be consistently enforced by an engaged police force to serve as a reminder that it’s not a free for all. Probably the biggest challenge of all.
Prices in general
A bit generic I know but Ibiza 2024 is a fundamentally different place to what it was 15 or 20 years ago. It now has the most expensive real estate prices in Spain plus the most expensive hotel room rates. It’s the perfect storm if you’re on the right side but not so good if you’re not on the property ladder or wanting a reasonably priced getaway. Saying that it is still possible to do ‘Ibiza on a budget’ during the low season when frankly it’s a better place to visit anyway. If you want to visit world class restaurants and nightclubs on a daily basis then expect to pay accordingly but there is another way and it’s important for the Ibiza tourism team to push this message as sometimes they can be overly focussed on the luxury side of the story.
The taxi service Uber is finally coming to Ibiza on Wednesday 29 November with an initial fleet of 14 cars available for private transport hire using the Uber app as confirmed by Felipe Fernández Aramburu, the general director of Uber in Spain and Portugal.
Initially the platform will offer 2 different types of cars, Uber Comfort and Uber Van with a capacity for 4 and 6 passengers respectively.
In addition, existing taxi drivers will also be able to sign up and accept trips through the application charging their existing prices but paying Uber a 12% commission for the use of its technology.
Existing taxi drivers will also be offered an incentive for registering on the platform of 150 euros for their first 25 journeys plus another 300 euros if they sign up another driver.
Uber has previously been viewed with suspicion from the taxi sector in the 10 Spanish cities in which it already operates however Felipe Fernández Aramburu stressed that thousands of taxi drivers have already registered on its application, 3,000 in Madrid and more than 130 in Mallorca.
The price for the Uber Comfort service is 0.17 euros per minute and 0.94 per km, with a flag drop of 7 euros and a minimum price of 10 euros, the same amount that is charged for canceling the trip. Uber Van will cost 0.3 euros per minute plus 1.50 per kilometer, with a base rate of 9 euros and a minimum of 18.40, the same for cancellation.
Ibiza will be the 2nd Balearic island where Uber will operate after services started in Mallorca on 8 June with a fleet of 50 cars. On the first day of service, they reached 20,000 users, according to the company’s data.
Fernández Aramburu also announced his intention to operate Uber on Formenteraand Menorca however no specific dates were mentioned.
Officially published figures have revealed the growth that is fuelling the Ibiza and Formentera economy and shows no sign of weakening. With the last 3 months still unaccounted for, 2023 is already a record year for tourism in 2 Pitiuses Islands
In the first 9 months of 2023 Ibiza and Formentera received a total of 3,313,373, visitors which is 7.86% or 241,407 more than the same period in 2022 and not only are more people coming but they are also spending more money.
With regards to nationalities of visitors, Spain are again at the top of the list with 856,755, an increase compared to last year of nearly 9%, closely followed by the British with 806,803 visitors, an increase of 8.36%. Then there is a gap to the Italians with 377,416 visitors – an increase of 5.76%, followed by the Dutch with 330,014 visitors, a decrease of 1.99%.
The number of German and French tourists has seen a decline for the first 9 months of 2023. Germany with 271,699 – a drop of 2.71% – while the French saw a 5.56% decrease with a total of 176,134 visitors.
The Balearics as a whole received 15.5 million tourists from January to September, an increase of 8.2% compared to last year so 2023 will mark an historical high for both arrivals and also tourist revenues
Official numbers show that during the first 9 months of 2023 the average tourist spend in Ibiza and Formentera was 1,168.53 euros per person during their stay which breaks down to 198.51 euros per person per day, 8.6% more than in 2022. The total tourist spend in Ibiza and Formentera for the first 9 months of the 2023 was 3.871 billion euros, over 300 million more than the whole of 2022.
The big picture is that with the last 3 months yet to be accounted for, the Balearic archipelago of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera has already exceeded the turnover for all of last year which had a cumulative total tourist spending of 17.35 billion euros.
Meanwhile the tourist association Exceltur’s latest report on the profitability and employment in Spain’s 104 main tourist destinations highlights that Ibiza Town had the most expensive rooms in Spain from June to September at an average price of 231.60 euros per room per night. 2nd on the list is Estepona on the Costa del Sol with an average nightly rate of 210.20 euros followed by Ibiza’s Sant Josep with 196.50 euros per room per night. The top 5 is made up by Marbella with 195.60 euros and Chiclana in Cadiz with 187 euros.
Santa Eulalia is in 7th place with an average nightly rate of 156.90 euros per room, meanwhile San Antonio comes in at number 14 with an average stay from June to September 2023 costing 127.90 euros per room per night but also gets a special mention for the investment by hoteliers to modernize and upgrade establishments that is noticeably taking effect.
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 