5 Big Challenges for Ibiza in 2024

Taxis

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.