The tourism industry is booming in the Mediterranean’s third most expensive destination, but the flow of wealth threatens to displace almost everyone else
It is said that Ibiza it has many faces. Its hedonistic party scene often silences the rest: according to a 2019 University of the Balearic Islands report, clubs make up 35% of both the island’s gross domestic product and workforce.
However, the island has other aspects. One is the relaxed and remote environment in the north, where a network of roads leads to small towns with whitewashed houses. Then there is the hippie and alternative Ibiza, which began to take shape in the 1970s, when the rebellious children of rich families settled on the island.
This Ibiza has been recycled into a boho-chic ethos, which permeates the island in the form of spiritual retreats and yoga classes. There is another Ibiza: a traditional community that has not been “contaminated” by the expectations of tourists. Its residents are worried about how they will cope in a municipality with the most expensive housing costs in Spain. The residents stay when the visitors hibernate… And every year, when tourism slows down, they start to wonder where the island is going.
Ibiza has chosen to attract extreme luxury, a conscious and strategic bet that threatens to swallow all the rest. According to a study conducted by real estate website Fotocasa, the cost of a square meter in the Balearic Islands has reached an all-time high, both for rent and for sale.
According to a study by El Diario de Ibiza, the island is the third most expensive destination in the Mediterranean, behind only Saint Tropez and Capri. The report puts the average price for a weekend in June at $400 per night. This severely limits accommodation options for seasonal workers. Dozens of them are forced to camp in the forests, where they settle until the police chase them away, a situation that repeats itself every year.
This year, Russian tourists were noticeably absent. They were replaced by the Dutch (whose presence increased by 20%) and the Belgians (10%).
The Daily Mail recently called Ibiza “a Notting Hill on the sea”, recounting its transformation from a clubber’s paradise to a magnet for wealthy eco-bohemian types from the London neighborhood. “Ibiza is said to have more yoga teachers than any other holiday destination on the planet,” the article notes.
The Ibiza trend has not passed, but is reinventing itself, attracting a new type of audience with each mutation. First there were the hippies, then the clubbers. In recent years, the mega-rich have also been added. None of the previous groups have been completely displaced: none wanted to leave Ibiza.
Instead, they have spread across the island, living side by side, creating small “social archipelagos”. The groups shape the different faces of Ibiza, an island that embraces and repels, sometimes at the same time.
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I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
