Last week after an amazing day at Headingley I caught the 8.40am flight from Leeds Bradford to Ibiza. I specifically booked this flight as it was early and I thought it would be peaceful. How wrong I was.
As I entered the airport the noise was insane for 7.30am in the morning. As I went upstairs through security the sound only intensified. The bar was full, the usual tattooed young lads with straight fringes and chemically enhanced bodies were in full swing. The girls with plump lips, false eyelashes and brightly coloured clothes were egging them on. As planes boarded, normal looking people headed to the queue for Faro and the aforementioned groups of youngsters unsurprisingly joined the Ibiza queue.
During the flight the atmosphere was friendly but also tinged with a touch of electricity. A few of the boys had obviously enjoyed their liquid breakfast and were now shouting and screaming, showing off to the long lashed girls who by now were well invested in the whole experience.
Relatively speaking, the flight itself went without too much incident apart from the rising levels of excitement. The polite Jet2 cabin crew lady did lose it at one point with one of the shouty lads but she handled it well and it all calmed down. The chattering and nervous excitement was palpable and we landed at Ibiza’s Es Codolar airport to the inevitable round applause and wolf whistling.
This is where things took a more sinister turn. As we departed the aeroplane, the testosterone, drinks and other chemicals kicked in and the various groups of youngsters became more agitated. ‘Ibiza’ was only a few hundred metres away but the short transport ride to the terminal was like a school assembly with a bunch 7 year olds after eating blue sweets for hours.
As we entered passport control the young lads jumped the fences to avoid the queuing system, girls screamed at their friends even though they were stood next to them. The excitement levels had hit optimum levels and overtaken decent behaviour. The security staff meanwhile looked on with dead eyes, they had seen it all before.
People work hard for their time off and there’s nothing wrong with being excited about your holiday but this type of behaviour pushes the limits. On one hand Ibiza wants and needs people to be excited about coming here – we have world leading entertainment, amazing beaches and nature, a history of cuisine that is already excellent and getting better yet we also expect people to act like respectable human beings. Where does nervous excitement stop and disrespectful disruptive behaviour start?
Ibiza, in many ways, is a victim of its own success. It paints a picture on social media of an anything goes, permissive society so how does it really expect people to behave? How is it that those same tattooed gym bunnies go to Dubai in the winter and behave themselves yet come to Ibiza and lose the plot? Is it because they know that in certain places actions bring consequences and they don’t want be locked up in a cell for 20 years regretting their behaviour. Put simply, people react to the environment they are in.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks on the White Isle. Avoidable car accidents, balcony falls and a near fatal hotel stabbing only scratches the surface and we aren’t even into the peak season yet. Where will it all end? The ‘I’m in Ibiza so I can do anything I want’ attitude is slowly suffocating the golden goose.
Local elections were less than 2 months ago, the new Ibiza politicians have to come up with a plan on how to control the bad eggs. Not just at the airport but during their time on this very small island. We don’t need hot air and hyperbole but a real plan with specific attainable objectives. It won’t be easy as it’s a tightrope trying to maintain Ibiza’s liberal laidback attitude yet coming down hard at the right time.
Globally, Ibiza has been at the top of its game for several years but what goes up must come down and if the island doesn’t take back control the consequences will be there for all to see.
MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace 
We’ll said
Perfectly put
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I have said it before, and I will say it again it revolves round two words , Control and Respect.
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Avoid Ibiza ….. June / July / August
Normality resumes mid September till mid June
TBH. it’s only a small % of the Brit’s that spoil it. Most other Europeans punters know how to behave and have fun 24/7
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As a Spaniard living abroad and owing a house in Ibiza, I am about to sell and quit the island. I cannot stand the lack of respect, the drunken people at any time of the day, the traffic jams, the exorbitant prices in restaurant which are not always aligned with quality of food and the fact that it has become increasingly difficult to find peace and enjoy the pristine nature. Besides, crime rates are through the roof, you might not see it in the press, but talk to police officers, neighbors and local entrepreneurs… you will hear a very different story. As often, Spain politicians are largely responsible for their short term, money-driven decisions (including for them personally) and not wanting to protect the island so that it continues to enjoy quality tourism over the long term. there are simple ways to resolve it; just look at best practices implemented successfully in other countries; start with a 2000 € fine for throwing trash on the floor, abusive conduct, speed driving etc….and use that money to restore the damage caused by such behaviors, mostly to mother nature. I live in Switzerland and I enjoy a stress free, clean environment, with people courteous and friendly to each other. They do it because they are educated and they also know the cost of not displaying civism and respect for others is simply unaffordable. As much as I love Ibiza, the negatives now clearly outweigh the positives. And in the end many others will follow me, not to mention the revolt from the locals as it already happened in other high end tourist Europeans regions.
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