During my lunch break I walked into town and wandered through small shops. In one shop selling clothes, jewellery and accessories, all in the hippie style that suits Ibiza so well, I had a conversation with the owner that stayed with me. The woman, around 55, told me that she lives in a rented apartment with her two children, aged 21 and 40, because owning a home is financially impossible for them, despite her older son's university apprenticeship. Many employees there, and even some students, fly in from Mallorca every day because in the end it is cheaper than renting a place on Ibiza.
She also said that her landlady had raised the rent by 400 euros this year, which is neither legal nor morally acceptable - but what was she supposed to do? Reporting it would almost certainly lead to the termination of her lease. She was one of the few friends from her circle still left on Ibiza; most had moved away because of rising prices or were now living permanently in caravans. She ended by saying that it was only a matter of time before she too would have to leave her home island because she could no longer afford rental housing.
This issue already hit me on arrival for the fam trip, when I had the opportunity to talk to the reception staff responsible for airport pick-up. A young woman, perhaps 24 years old, told me about a recent apartment viewing for a flat of roughly 30 square metres, for which the landlord was asking more than 3,100 euros per month.
These two encounters become even more striking when you factor in an average Spanish monthly income of 1,100 to 1,200 euros.
During the welcome speech at the Ibiza MICE Summit 2024, Carmen Ferrer, mayor of Santa Eularia des Riu, also spoke about the island's accommodation capacity for tourism. She said that Ibiza currently has a total of 96,408 available hotel beds. Further luxury hotels are either being planned or already under construction. So unaffordable housing for the local population stands opposite 96,408 hotel beds that remain empty and unused throughout the off-season after hotels close at the end of October. And of course, hotel land and new hotel buildings further reduce the available space that could be used to create housing.
At this point I asked myself what role we as DMCs, event agencies and travel organisers play in this situation when we bring clients to Ibiza, and what responsibility follows from that. In my opinion, it is a responsibility that must be accepted, with demonstrably effective measures that counteract touristic overuse.
Without thinking about it for long, three possibilities come to mind:
- An additional overnight tax used to finance housing for residents. With room prices between 200 and 2,000 euros per night, an additional charge equivalent to the existing Balearic ecotax of 4 euros per person per night should not carry much weight.
- Creating a certification for hotel businesses that pay their employees above average and can therefore be easily identified and preferentially booked by us.
- The possibility of making hotel rooms available to residents at affordable rates during the off-season. Of course, that would only be a partial solution, but at least it would be something.
But apparently there are no serious initiatives or projects in this direction to counteract the situation. With all due respect: while local government and hoteliers continue selling off the island and filling already overflowing pockets, the hardship of the local population is hidden in the glow of the next five-star temple. Really? How little backbone can one have towards one's own voters?
And what about sustainability? All the talk about environmental and resource protection through replacing plastic bottles with reusable containers stands in direct contradiction to locals who have to take a flight in order to work or study at home. Sustainability does not end with replacing or avoiding plastic bottles, even though that is of course an important step for animals and the environment. Video footage of carpets of plastic waste in the oceans and animals dying after swallowing plastic has been circulating on television and the internet for decades. But social aspects must not be pushed aside and urgently need our attention. Because what would the most beautiful destination be without its heart - the locals who make it what it is?
https://www.mallorcazeitung.es/immobilien/2025/01/26/balearen-regierung-stellt-dieses-jahr-113719041.html
https://www.mallorcazeitung.es/immobilien/2025/03/15/bauland-in-palma-freigegeben-115318828.html
https://www.stern.de/reise/europa/mietwahnsinn-auf-ibiza-wohnraum-auf-den-balearen-wird-immer-teurer-8806182.html
Sources for the figures:
Santa Eularia des Riu Town Hall