I’ve been reading through a few Ibiza forums of late and the outrage from a certain segment shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Clickbait posts and blogs (I know that’s a bit rich coming from me) about the modern day Ibiza with faux shock and horror.
Too expensive! VIP culture! Overpriced restaurants! RIP-off services! Housing crisis!
It’s all relative but it’s worth reminding ourselves of the reality rather than perception, which can be very different.
Ibiza can be expensive. It’s had over a decade of incredible growth and as a tourist destination it’s expensive next to Turkey but cheap next to Monte Carlo so where’s the barometer start & finish exactly? There’s been a boom over the last 15 years and prices have increased exponentially but the island was undervalued for many years which was part of its charm. It was gloriously hippy chic and you could live on the island for relatively little money.
But that was then and this is now. The market changed around 2010 and the new religion of social media meant that all the myths and secrets weren’t so secret anymore. Ibiza opened up to the world and sold its soul to the god of money. Truth be told, it had been doing it for decades but the market pushed up prices to levels that the older ibicencan generation could only have dreamed of, the spoils became bigger.
But here’s the rub. Ibiza’s perennial secret is reinventing itself when it has to so if the 5 star VIP market dries up then you can be rest assured that things will change ‘pronto’. It always takes a couple of years to drip through and readjust but it will happen if it needs to, as sure as as night follows day.
Overpriced restaurants? Absolutely but that’s a mark of a world class destination and what is ‘overpriced’ anyway? Some of the finest gastronomy can be found on the white isle these days but guess what, you don’t have to go there. You can easily go to a local restaurant and eat delicious food for a fraction of the price. Delicious Paella and bottle of wine for less than €50 is easy to find if you don’t follow the herd.
Also let’s not forget that Spain is one of the cheaper places in Europe for a trolley full of food from the supermarket.
Ask yourself a question. Why do so many people want to live on the island? There’s jobs all over Spain, all over Europe yet the workers want here. I’d hazard a guess and say that one of the main reasons is that Ibiza affords a way of life that is difficult to compare. There’s no life like island life
Anyway, I digress. Of all the negatives I read online there’s only one that is truly important, the rest is manageable and market driven. The lack of housing for essential workers is now at crisis point. The big companies have a duty to house their own staff, it’s on them but nurses, doctors and teachers aren’t as lucky.
Make no mistake. The rest is just petty griping with a bit of jealousy thrown in but when the person who’s job it is to save lives can’t find or afford to live on the island then we are all in trouble, as you never know, it could be you or your loved ones who have to pay the consequences.
I wrote about the housing crisis 7 years ago and I’m sad to say that across 2 separate island governments nothing has changed, it’s as bad as it’s ever been and videos of tent villages and rows of camper vans only confirm a major problem that is growing fast.
So when you are reading those click bait forums that offer only problems and no solutions understand that, like anywhere, Ibiza has its challenges and is not to everyone’s liking but when the push comes to shove there’s only one real problem that needs urgent attention. The rest is just garnish.
When the dust settles on Ibiza summer 2024, barring a September miracle, the records will show that it didn’t quite go as planned.
After the post pandemic boom it hasn’t been a bust but it has been a reality check. After 2 years of record breaking numbers, this summer has flattered to deceive. The usual blue chip businesses are busy as usual (just look on social media) but the rest are fighting over the scraps. In all truth, if you scratch away at the surface, it’s been a struggle for many businesses to survive.
The Ibiza way of ‘stack it high and….keep pushing up the prices’ has become tiresome for a generation of island lovers who now look to Turkey and the east Mediterranean for their annual fix of fun in the sun at a price where they don’t have to sell a kidney to pay the bill.
Whereas before there was a conveyor belt of youngsters ready to fill the gap, the entry level tourists have become more difficult to attract due to high prices and a perception that Ibiza has sold its soul in return for pure profit.
If this market is dwindling then it’s more important than ever to work with what we have and make sure they return. The historical Ibiza way of making money while not overly focussing on customer service is wearing thin. Even the top end is growing weary of it, bookings at the expensive restaurants are being replaced by local eateries offering good service.
Ibiza is top of the tree in so many ways but customer experience isn’t one of them and this is the root of the problem. Compare it to others places in the north or south of mainland Spain and you will instantly understand.
The businesses that are doing well on the White Isle are those that look after their customers so that they continually return. Many businesses have profited from the rise of Ibiza but just the name doesn’t cut it anymore with so much competition around
The feedback is that Ibiza has been found wanting with its customer focus, preferring to put profits first. Longevity comes from providing an experience coupled with the right balance of price for your product.
As the younger market is being marginalised the island needs its customers to return more than ever and the experience they have when here is key. We know Ibiza has what other destinations can only dream of but a reset in the way we treat our most precious commodity isn’t a bad idea either.
Last week I had drinks and dinner at a rooftop restaurant in San Antonio bay, I hadn’t booked a table but took my chances anyway. I needn’t have worried as the place wasn’t even half full. As I drove home just after midnight there was hardly a car on the road. I checked my calendar and it was definitely mid-July. Very curious.
In my business world I’ve listed more properties for sale in a month than I have in a year yet enquiries are only dripping through where I thought there would be a flood of requests to view. Very curious indeed.
Meanwhile checking UK flights to Ibiza in August, the prices have been slashed to the bone. £80-£130 return for the first week in August. Even more curious.
Is it just me or is Ibiza strangely quiet this summer? I’ve read the same about Mallorca however speaking to friend, he told me that Benidorm is packed to rafters and on its way to a record summer.
Is it time to face up to the truth yet? Has Ibiza priced itself out of the mainstream market? While the same 10 businesses clean up, the rest are fighting over the scraps, which isn’t pretty and will only get worse once the peak summer weeks come to an end.
Ibiza’s hotel prices are the highest in Spain (its property prices are amongst the highest too), the White Isle has shown amazing growth over the last 10 years but has the mass market been marginalised? Is Ibiza now a luxury brand only attracting a niche market during the high season while the mainstream market enjoy the buzz and bargains in Benidorm and the value of the eastern Med (Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt)?
The Ibiza golden goose appears to be coughing and spluttering on a post-pandemic comedown that will concern many small businesses that rely on the busy high season weeks to prop up their balance sheet.
After a few record years, 2024 has an over capacity of flights coupled with expensive hotel prices and an infrastructure and taxi network that struggles during peak times. Ibiza is going through a challenging period.
We’ve been here before of course and the island is very good at reinventing itself and finding new ways to survive. Ibiza has some of the best entrepreneurs in the world but this time many hotels and other businesses are on long term leases at sky high prices so it’s hard to see where the peak season discounts will come from. Airlines have discounted, will hotels follow? I doubt it.
Let’s see what happens over the next 8 weeks as things can change very quickly but with 70€ for a sunbed, 35€ for a caesar salad, 6€ for half a beer, 23€ for a cocktail and 19€ for a Gin n Tonic now becoming the norm on top of that spiralling hotel bill……as the old saying goes “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time”.
Thomas Wesley Pentz, a 45 year old American DJ and music producer – known professionally as Diplo – has been in the news this week.
In all his and his management team’s wisdom they organised a ‘secret party’ on the viewpoint overlooking Es Vedra, one of the most iconic natural beauty spots in Ibiza.
As is the way these days they plastered it all over Instagram for maximum coverage of their coolness but there is a slight problem. This is a protected area with special laws to stop this specific kind of activity.
The Spanish islands have been in the news a lot lately. There’s been an uprising of locals protesting about the saturation of tourism and the effect it’s having on the environment and living conditions for residents. So you can imagine the furore when Mr Pentz’s videos and photos were uploaded, it was fuel on the fire, the natives were not happy.
In their eyes it’s just another example of the tourism machine doing what it wants, when it wants with no thought for anything or anyone else.
DJ Diplo is now the shining light of disrespect, the spiritual leader of the ‘we don’t give a fuck’ gang, the boss of giving the finger to the locals and their laws.
I’m sure his friends and management will jump to his defence saying he didn’t realise it was such a controversial thing to do and he didn’t mean to offend anyone but that doesn’t matter. He did it.
I’m one of those offended that the special place I go to watch the sunset over Es Vedra was even more saturated by a sweaty mob, cheering and swaying to his music. Es Vedra is our Ayers Rock, it (or she as some say) belongs to no one and everyone. It’s arguably the most iconic spot on the island and is a sanctuary for those looking for some peace, tranquility and, dare I say it, spirituality.
For Mr Pentz to use it to promote himself, his night at Pacha and boost his Instagram profile is not just crude, it’s downright disrespectful and shows how out of touch he is with the island. What’s more it gives the anti-tourist zealots even more reasons to jump up and down and decry the most important commodity the island possesses.
The authorities have threatened to fine him thousands of euros and I sincerely hope they do although I doubt it will ever see the light of court.
It doesn’t matter to be honest because the damage has been done, the anti-tourist mob have their poster boy and Diplo, the entitled DJ, with his hundred million dollar estate in Jamaica, his chauffeur driven black Mercedes minivan with complimentary drinks is that man.
While DJ Dipstick departs on his private jet, the rest of us, who live here reliant of tourism, are left to read the sensationalist headlines, fend off the radicals and pick up the pieces. I hope he’s proud of himself but as long as his 6.2 million Instagram followers enjoyed it, I suppose that’s all that matters.
The Ibiza peak summer season is almost upon as we head towards July. It’s probably an age thing as the summer seems to be flying by but the word on the street isn’t as good as we were hoping for.
After a post pandemic boom, where travel was back with a bang and people grabbed it with both hands, 2022 and 2023 were record years for Ibiza but 2024 is proving a little more challenging. It’s not a chronic situation, more of a puzzling one. Flights coming in half empty, hotels busy only at weekends, the villa market struggling, property market static – lots of challenges are happening all over this island in 2024
Maybe we have become complacent but the big talking point as usual is has Ibiza out-priced itself? There’s a few answers to that one but perception and reality are 2 different things. The good news is that it’s still possible to come to Ibiza on a budget (low season, hostals, menu del dia etc) and have an incredible time but the reality is that if you want to live like a rockstar while you’re here then expect to pay accordingly. There is a choice to be made but at least there is a choice.
Throw into the mix some negative press headlines (nothing new there), high flight prices (especially at weekends), hotels holding their nerve with rates and, unlike other resorts, Ibiza in general doesn’t do discounts and tends to stick to its pricing policy. Many accommodation providers would rather their places stay empty than discount to a lower end of the market which brings problems and very little profit margin.
Keeping your powder dry for another day only works if that other day comes and that’s what is concerning Ibiza businesses in 2024. The summer madness will come but for how long? We are almost in July and the island isn’t as busy as we were expecting.
At times like these it’s important to remember the dynamic. Without tourism we are nothing. The radicals won’t like to hear it but it’s the truth. It’s easy to sneer at tourists even though the island relies on them but during these moments it’s more important than ever to appreciate them and treat them with a respect that most do but some don’t deserve.
It’s too easy to point the finger at a ‘certain type’ of tourism but other destinations are no different and in many ways, far worse. As locals there is tendency to roll your eyes at a group of tourists staggering down the street after a long day at a beach club or the morning after a big party. Offensive or abusive behaviour should never be tolerated but scowling at tourists for having a good time isn’t cool either.
As an Ibiza business community we all need to do our bit so next time you see a tourist acting a bit strange or behaving in a fashion that doesn’t fit in with your own, instead of tutting remind yourself that tourists coming to Ibiza and enjoying themselves is what the Island was built on and long may it continue.
A little humility goes a long way so instead of a physical shrug, give those tourists a virtual hug and be thankful that they chose to come to Ibiza. The island is still at the top of the tree and still the coolest destination on the planet but nothing should ever be taken for granted.
Today I launch a new podcast series called ‘My Ibiza Journey’ (links at bottom of page) where I will be chatting to interesting people including Island veterans about how they first came to Ibiza, what it really means to them and how they and the Island have changed over the years.
The series is designed to lift the lid a little on the White Isle and give a personal first hand experience of all that is good and some that isn’t so good about this small island in the Mediterranean that creates headlines all around the world.
During my 30 years on the island I have been fortunate to have a front row seat witnessing the incredible changes that have happened and I’ve never been shy in expressing my views and asking questions about the direction that Ibiza is heading. My ‘Man in San An’ blog has been at the forefront for nearly 10 years and has been viewed nearly a million times by Ibiza lovers (and haters) who appreciate a first hand account and strong opinion.
Everyone’s experience is different and the varied stories on the podcast series are compelling and very personal. How is it that Ibiza can be kind to some yet consume and spit out others? I am always keen to hear about the journey that brought each guest to this moment right now.
The broad spectrum of guests may at first seem random but the connection is that they all have an engaging story to tell and what drives the series is their relationship with a small island that evokes so many emotions and feelings.
The series will run for at least 10 weeks on all platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, SoundCloud etc) with a new release every week, what I love about podcasts is that they are a great way of communicating. You can listen or download and enjoy them at your leisure – be it when you are at the gym, out for a walk or in your car. Most episodes run at around 40-50 minutes in length which is enough for guests to be able to tell their story but not overly long, I’ve tried to keep the stories ticking along.
This podcast series will not only appeal to true Ibiza lovers with inside knowledge of the island but also to those who have never been before and like to listen to fascinating first hand stories from genuine people who have experienced some incredible things during their lives and want to share their Ibiza journey.
I hope you can take the time to listen and please give feedback wherever possible and if you wish to share your Ibiza journey then you know where to find me.
All episodes are recorded face to face at my studio in San Antonio.
“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.
MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace 