MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace

For years, Ibiza has judged success by one number – visitor arrivals – but now another number is becoming far more important: how much they’re actually spending once they get here.

According to Ibiza’s restaurant association, many businesses are reporting a 20% drop in turnover this summer compared with last year, despite hotels remaining busy. The sector says August has started no better than July, with customers eating out less often, ordering fewer drinks and watching every euro.

The explanation is surprisingly simple.

Visitors are still coming, but a growing proportion of their holiday budget is disappearing before they even land. Flights can be expensive and accommodation cost has reached record levels. Spend several hundred per night on a hotel room or several thousands per week on a luxury villa and something has to give. Increasingly, it’s the restaurant bill.

The hospitality industry says this isn’t just a bad month – it’s part of a trend. Across the Balearics, restaurant turnover is estimated to be down around 6% this season overall, with rising energy, food and staffing costs squeezing margins even further.

Luxury venues continue to perform relatively well, but the middle market – the traditional restaurants, cafés and family-run businesses – is getting squeezed and feeling the pain most.

The irony is impossible to ignore.

Ibiza has spent the last decade reinventing itself as a premium destination. Higher-end hotels, exclusive beach clubs and luxury experiences have undoubtedly increased tourism revenue. Yet those same higher prices are leaving many visitors with less disposable income once they’re here.

So while hotels celebrate high occupancy levels, local restaurants look across half-empty terraces wondering where everybody has gone…but this isn’t just a restaurant problem.

When visitors cut back on meals, cocktails, taxis, shopping and excursions, the money stops circulating through the local economy. The benefits of record tourism become concentrated in fewer hands, you know – the same old suspects.

Ibiza may still be attracting record numbers of visitors, but there’s an uncomfortable question emerging: Has the island become so expensive that tourists can afford to visit Ibiza, but not actually experience it?

I should probably declare an interest.

Even though I was at the very first event in 1995, Radio 1’s Ibiza Weekend was never really my thing. In fact, I once found myself as the lone dissenting voice in a BBC documentary, surrounded by people convinced it was the greatest thing ever to happen to the island.

Time hasn’t really changed my view but it has changed my perspective because whether you loved it, tolerated it or avoided San Antonio altogether that week, it’s impossible to deny Radio 1’s place in Ibiza’s story.

The island stopped, the dance music world paid attention and San Antonio became the centre of the universe for one glorious weekend. Pete Tong. Essential Mixes. Live broadcasts. Superstar DJs. Thousands of young Brits suddenly realised Ibiza wasn’t just another Mediterranean holiday destination.

Radio 1 didn’t invent Ibiza, but it certainly helped export it. For an entire generation, Ibiza and Radio 1 became inseparable but here’s the uncomfortable question: If Radio 1 stopped coming tomorrow, would Ibiza even notice? Twenty-five years ago, the answer would have been obvious but today, I’m not so sure.

The world Radio 1 helped create no longer exists. Young people don’t wait for a Friday night dance show to discover music. They discover DJs through TikTok and Instagram before they’ve even set foot in a club. A 30-second clip filmed behind the DJ booth at Hï can reach more people than an entire weekend of radio broadcasts.

Radio stopped being the tastemaker, the algorithm took over and Ibiza changed too. The budget tourists became boutique hotel guests. The £5 breakfasts became €35 brunches. The cheap apartments became luxury suites. The Club 18-30 generation grew up… and so did Ibiza’s business model.

Today the island sells exclusivity as much as it sells nightlife (see my previous blog post). In many ways, Radio 1 and Ibiza are now speaking to different audiences but there’s another irony.

Radio 1 once defined what was cool in Ibiza but now it often feels like the roles are reversed. Radio 1 is borrowing credibility from Ibiza. 

The station still has fantastic content. Incredible music. World-famous DJs. Packed crowds. It reminds listeners that Radio 1 still belongs at the heart of dance music but Ibiza doesn’t need validation anymore – it’s one of the most recognised tourism brands on Earth.

Its clubs sell out without Radio 1, its DJs become global stars without Radio 1. Its social media reaches hundreds of millions without Radio 1. The island has become its own broadcaster but none of that diminishes Radio 1’s legacy.

Far from it.

Without Radio 1, British club culture might have looked very different. Ibiza’s rise in the UK would almost certainly have been slower. Hundreds of DJs owe part of their careers to a station that genuinely championed dance music when much of the mainstream ignored it. That deserves enormous respect but legacy and relevance aren’t the same thing.

Radio 1 Weekend is no longer the event that defines the season, it’s now become something rarer – a tradition. An institution.

A nostalgic reminder of an era when a radio station could shape musical taste and a broadcast from Ibiza could dominate conversations back home.

Today’s Ibiza doesn’t wait for permission from London. It sets its own agenda. Radio 1 is still welcome. It still belongs here. It still adds something special to the summer but the relationship has changed.

It’s a measure of just how far the island has travelled. Radio 1 is no longer the reason the world looks at Ibiza but it is one of the reasons the world started looking and that means it will always deserve its place in the island’s story.

If you watched the re-run of the BBC’s Life Beyond the Lobby featuring Six Senses Ibiza this week, you weren’t just watching a luxury hotel. You were watching the story of Ibiza.

Not the Ibiza of £1 breakfasts, Club 18-30 reps and inflatable lilos. The new Ibiza.

What struck me wasn’t the celebrity guests, the wellness gurus or the eye-watering villas. It was the location itself. A generation ago, this was a perfectly decent family hotel. Parents queued for the buffet while the kids disappeared into the pool. It was the sort of place thousands of British families happily returned to every summer.

Today, on exactly the same piece of coastline, stands one of the Leading Hotels of the World. Think about that for a moment. In the space of one generation, Ibiza hasn’t just upgraded its hotels, it has completely reinvented itself.

The island no longer competes with Benidorm, Magaluf or even Tenerife. Today, it’s competing with Miami, Dubai, Mykonos, St Barths and the Maldives. By any measure, that’s an extraordinary transformation.

The irony is that many people still talk about Ibiza as though nothing has changed. They complain that toast and avocado costs too much or that hotel rooms are expensive, as if the island is somehow still aiming for the bargain holiday market. It isn’t.

Whether we like it or not (and plenty don’t) the market has moved. For the past twenty-five years, Ibiza has been climbing relentlessly up the tourism ladder.

Five-star hotels have replaced three-star accommodation. Beach clubs have replaced beach bars. Michelin stars have replaced fish and chips. Wellness has become every bit as important as nightlife.

Family enclaves such as Portinatx and Cala Llonga now boast stunning hotels catering to a discerning adults-only clientele. Luxury isn’t an accident, it’s a business model but there’s another side to the story. There always is.

The BBC showed beautiful suites, holistic treatments and impeccable service. It didn’t show hospitality workers commuting from the mainland because they can’t afford to live here. It didn’t show teachers struggling to find somewhere to rent, or young Ibicencos wondering whether they’ll ever be able to buy a home on the island where they grew up.

That’s the contradiction.

The same transformation that has made Ibiza one of the world’s most desirable destinations has also made it one of Europe’s most expensive places to live. Success has come with a price tag.

The debate shouldn’t be whether Ibiza has changed. That argument is over. The BBC programme simply confirmed what anyone who has lived here has watched unfold over the past three decades.

The real question is whether the island can continue chasing luxury without losing the character that made people fall in love with Ibiza in the first place because once authenticity disappears, it rarely comes back.

The old Ibiza isn’t coming back, the new Ibiza is already here. The only question is whether we’re shaping its future, or simply standing back and watching it happen.

Love it or loathe it, one of the biggest changes to life in Ibiza is edging ever closer.

Spain has approved draft legislation that will ban smoking and vaping on beaches, around public swimming pools, on bar and restaurant terraces, at outdoor events, sports facilities and even within 15 metres of schools, hospitals and many public buildings.

It isn’t law just yet. Parliament still has to sign it off but make no mistake, this train has already left the station.

If approved, the days of lighting up on the sands of Cala Conta, beside your hotel pool or over a beer watching the sunset could soon become a thing of the past and before anyone says, “I’ll just vape instead,” think again. Vapes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches and shisha all fall under the same proposed restrictions.

This won’t just affect residents. Millions of tourists come to Ibiza every year expecting to spend their holiday outdoors, on beaches, around pools and on terraces and that’s exactly where the new rules are aimed.

Some Balearic beaches already have smoke-free policies, but they’re inconsistent and enforcement is hit and miss. A national law changes everything. Suddenly the rules become the same whether you’re in Ibiza, Madrid or Málaga.

Hotels will have decisions to make. Beach clubs will have decisions to make. Bars and restaurants will have decisions to make and yes, there will undoubtedly be people caught out.

The debate starts now

Predictably, the hospitality industry isn’t thrilled. Some fear it could drive customers away, while smokers argue the Government is once again interfering in personal choice.

Others see it very differently. Cigarette ends remain one of the most common forms of litter found on beaches, while passive smoking remains a genuine public health concern in busy outdoor spaces.

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with this direction of travel – both of my parents died from smoking-related illnesses so perhaps I have a different perspective from some. If this legislation encourages even a handful of people to quit or stops the next generation from taking up the habit, then that can only be a good thing.

The bottom line is that nothing changes today but don’t get too comfortable if your holiday routine includes a cigarette by the pool or on the beach as by this time next year smoking will most likely be stubbed out for good in these places and I don’t think too many people will miss the smell of cigarette smoke drifting across some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Let’s be honest. It won’t trend on social media. It won’t make the national news, it won’t compete with nightclub brawls, celebrity DJs or drunken tourist videos but it’s a very significant story.

San Antonio’s mayor, Marco Serra, has confirmed he’ll be standing for re-election in 2027. For those who live here, own or run businesses here or simply care where the town is heading, this announcement is arguably the biggest political story of the year.

Whatever your personal thoughts, Serra has been the most ambitious mayor San Antonio has seen in decades. Since taking office, he’s been very pro-active, backed major investment in the town, pushed to attract a more diverse type of visitor, supported year-round events and made no secret of his desire to drag the town away from the tired stereotypes that have followed it for years.

Has he solved everything? Far from it.

Housing is still a big issue. Residents continue to complain about anti-social behaviour and public safety. Businesses are split over some of the changes, while others argue progress simply isn’t happening quickly enough.

However, here’s the important point; for the first time in a long time, San Antonio actually has a long-term plan and whether you agree with every decision or not, there’s a coherent vision. That’s something the town has lacked for years.

The 2027 election won’t just decide who sits in the mayor’s office, it will decide whether San Antonio continues its transformation or whether the town changes direction once again.

Local politics rarely grabs the attention of the expat community, yet the person running the Town Hall has a bigger influence over your daily life than most politicians in Palma, Madrid or even London. They shape planning policy, public spaces, policing priorities, tourism strategy, events and investment.

So while everyone else is arguing about DJ’s and beach clubs, keep one eye on this story because long after this summer’s headlines have disappeared, the result of the 2027 election could define what San Antonio looks like for the next decade.

Sometimes the biggest stories aren’t the loudest ones.

Mark Wednesday 12th August 2026 in your diary, because Ibiza, along with the rest of the Balearic Islands, is about to witness one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles.

For a few unforgettable minutes, the Sun will simply disappear.

The eclipse begins at 7:38pm, when the Moon starts to move between the Earth and the Sun. Over the next hour, it will gradually cover the Sun until, between 8:30pm and 8:34pm, daylight will suddenly turn to darkness as a total solar eclipse sweeps across the islands.

It will be the first time in well over a century that the Balearics have experienced a total solar eclipse, with the last one taking place back in 1905.

The shadow of the Moon will first reach Menorca at 8:30:01pm, before racing south across Mallorca, Ibiza and finally Formentera, where totality arrives at 8:33:23pm.

The duration of totality will vary depending on where you are. Mallorca gets the best deal with around 90 seconds of complete darkness, while poor old Formentera has to make do with just under 30 seconds. Ibiza sits somewhere in the middle, but wherever you are, expect an unforgettable experience as temperatures drop, birds fall silent and stars and planets briefly become visible in the middle of what should be daylight.

The Balearic Government is expecting huge interest from both residents and visitors and has already launched an official information campaign to help people prepare.

A dedicated website (in Spanish and Catalan, of course) provides everything you need to know, including:

• Scientific explanations of how the eclipse works.
• Advice on how to watch it safely using approved eclipse glasses or filters.
• Information about the last total eclipse seen from the Balearics in 1905.
• Recommended viewing locations.
• Details of road closures, public transport and traffic management.
• Guidance on protecting the islands’ natural environment during what is expected to be a very busy evening.

This isn’t just about astronomy. It’s also a major logistical operation.

The Balearic Government, never one to miss an opportunity for another committee, has established a special commission to coordinate preparations, while the regional emergency plan (PLATERBAL) will activate a dedicated protocol known as ECLIPBAL to help ensure public safety throughout the event. Two acronyms that, with a bit of luck, won’t be dusted off again for another hundred years.

The planning has involved local institutions, emergency services, scientists and astronomy experts, including the University of the Balearic Islands, AstroMallorca, the Foundation of the Institute of Astronautical Astronomy of Mallorca and the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia.

Whether you’re a lifelong resident or visiting Ibiza for your summer holiday, this is shaping up to be one of those genuine “I was there” moments.

Four minutes that people will be talking about for decades… and I haven’t said that since the birth of my second child.

On a serious note, please remember one thing: never look directly at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses or approved solar viewing equipment.

The countdown has begun.

Balearic Gov website

Around 250 taxi drivers from across the island have announced they will refuse to pick up passengers anywhere in Sant Josep – including Ibiza Airport, hotels and beaches – from midnight on Friday until midnight on Monday, unless the municipality removes a controversial road sign at the airport.

The drivers claim the sign prevents taxis from other municipalities entering the airport holding area, despite a 2022 Balearic Government decree stating that whenever passengers are waiting at a taxi rank, any licensed taxi on the island can collect them on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of which municipality issued the licence.

At the heart of the dispute is a simple question.

Why should an empty taxi be forced to drive away while hundreds of passengers queue for a ride?

It makes little sense.

As always in Ibiza, there are plenty of vested interests at play. Every municipality wants to protect its own licences, its own drivers and its own slice of the pie. Meanwhile, visitors are left standing in the summer heat wondering why getting from the airport has become so complicated.

The current system creates unnecessary queues, wastes fuel and sends empty taxis back onto already congested roads.

Surely it’s time to draw a line in the sand.

Ibiza has one airport. Tourists couldn’t care less whether their taxi is licensed in Sant Josep, Sant Antoni, Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària or Sant Joan. They just want to get to their accommodation quickly, safely and without unnecessary delays.

The solution seems obvious.

One island. One airport. One integrated taxi system.

Anything else is simply municipal politics getting in the way of common sense and the losers are the islands only commodity and this is a dangerous game to play.

I’ve just got back to Ibiza after a few days in the UK. The plan was simple: watch some cricket, catch up with family and friends, then head back to the White Isle.

To my surprise it was hotter in the UK than Ibiza. Now, that sounds like a dream but believe me it wasn’t.

Ibiza and the UK have something in common. Neither has a clue what to do when the weather steps outside its comfort zone.

Give Ibiza a bit of rain and the roads become rivers, traffic grinds to a halt, houses leak like sieves and everyone acts like they’ve just witnessed a biblical event.

Give Britain 35°C and the entire country collectively loses its mind. Schools close because classrooms become ovens. Trains are cancelled because apparently steel rails have trust issues. Offices become sweatboxes because air conditioning is still considered some sort of American luxury. Every pub beer garden is packed with people whose skin has turned fifty shades of lobster.

And let’s not forget the fashion. Brits have approximately three days a year to wear shorts, so every pair ever purchased since 1998 suddenly makes an appearance. Hawaiian shirts emerge from wardrobes, flip-flops are worn into supermarkets and there’s always one bloke who decides the local Tesco is an acceptable place to wander around without a shirt. Spoiler alert: It isn’t.

The irony is brilliant. People spend thousands flying to Ibiza every summer chasing sunshine, yet the moment the UK actually gets some, the country starts melting faster than an ice cream in Benidorm.

Maybe that’s just how we’re wired. Ibiza was built for heat. The UK was built for drizzle. Swap the weather around and both places descend into glorious chaos. 

Ibiza’s housing crisis has forced politicians into increasingly bold decisions, and this could be one of the biggest yet.

Four of the island’s five municipalities have now approved plans to unlock areas of ‘suelo rústico’ (rural land) so they can be used for affordable housing (VPL) under the Balearic Government’s new Strategic Residential Projects scheme. The aim is simple: get more homes built, faster, and at prices below the open market.

The proposals cover Ibiza Town, San Antonio, San Jose and Santa Eulalia. Each municipality will now identify specific transition areas close to existing urban zones where development can take place over the coming months.

Supporters argue Ibiza has reached the point where extraordinary measures are needed. Young people, key workers and even middle-income families are increasingly priced out of the island they grew up on. The Balearic Government believes these homes could be sold for around 30-40% below current market prices, offering residents a realistic route onto the property ladder.

Some councils are also proposing strict residency requirements. In Ibiza Town, there are calls for buyers to have lived in the municipality for up to 10 years, while San Jose wants similar long-term residency rules. Santa Eulalia has gone further, insisting every property will have public protection and at least half will be for affordable rental.

But not everyone is convinced.

Opposition voices argue that the plan opens a can of worms such as more construction on precious countryside, fuels private development and still won’t produce homes that many residents can genuinely afford. Environmental concerns have also been raised over the loss of rural land on an island already struggling with infrastructure, traffic and water resources.

It’s a debate that perfectly sums up modern Ibiza.

For years we’ve all complained there aren’t enough homes. Now politicians are proposing to build them, many are worried about where they’ll go.

The real question isn’t whether Ibiza needs more housing. Almost everyone agrees it does. The real question is whether this plan strikes the right balance between protecting the island’s landscape and ensuring the people who keep Ibiza running can actually afford to live here.

One thing is certain: doing nothing is no longer an option.

It’s been in the local news all week, but the story of the illegal mega-party shut down in the Ibiza countryside keeps raising new questions.

What initially sounded like an unauthorised gathering has turned out to be something far more elaborate: around 1,000 attendees, multiple dance areas, bars, food vendors, medical staff, an ambulance, a fairground ride and up to 15 DJs.

This was not a spontaneous gathering. It was a fully-fledged commercial event.

Much of the attention has understandably focused on the organisers, who face potentially severe penalties of up to €300,000 but perhaps the more interesting question is whether everyone involved in making the event happen should also face consequences because events of this scale do not materialise out of thin air.

Somebody supplied the sound systems. Somebody built the stages. Somebody arranged the lighting. Somebody provided the bars and catering. Somebody hired the medical teams and ambulance and somebody stood behind the decks entertaining the crowd.

For years, many of those involved in illegal parties have been able to distance themselves from responsibility by claiming they were simply providing a service. DJs in particular have often argued that they were booked to perform and had no knowledge of the legal status of the event but at what point does that defence stop being credible?

A professional DJ arriving at a remote finca and finding hundreds of people, multiple dance floors, bars, security staff, food outlets and festival-level production should surely be asking questions. The same applies to suppliers providing equipment and services.

Ignorance may be a reasonable defence when playing a private birthday party or wedding. It becomes much harder to accept when confronted with what is effectively a small music festival operating in the countryside.

The reality is that licensed venues in Ibiza spend millions complying with regulations, safety requirements, licensing conditions, taxes and employment laws. Illegal events avoid many of those costs while competing for the same customers and that is why growing calls to blacklist DJs and suppliers linked to illegal parties deserve serious consideration.

Promoters can disappear overnight. Companies can be dissolved. Social media accounts can be deleted. A DJ’s reputation, however, is often their most valuable asset. Perhaps it’s time for responsibility to extend beyond organisers alone.

Before accepting a booking, professional DJs, production companies, sound providers, security firms and other suppliers should be carrying out basic due diligence. Is the venue licensed? Does the event have the necessary permissions? Who is organising it? Are the appropriate safety measures and permits in place?

These are questions legitimate businesses ask every day.

If suppliers know they risk losing future bookings, damaging their reputation or even facing legal consequences for participating in illegal events, they may think twice before getting involved and that could prove far more effective than chasing organisers after the fact.

The authorities deserve some credit for shutting this event down, but preventing the next one may require a different approach. Illegal parties survive because they rely on a network of professionals willing to provide services.

If that network starts demanding proof that an event is legal before agreeing to participate, the business model quickly becomes much harder to sustain because one thing seems increasingly clear: nobody accidentally organises a thousand-person rave complete with bars, food outlets, medical teams, famous DJs and a carousel.

And nobody involved should be able to pretend they didn’t notice what was happening around them.