Millions of people descend on Ibiza each year to party in its clubs, swim in its crystal-blue waters and soak up the sun.
However, this small Spanish island lacks the capacity to accommodate such a large number of tourists. This situation has resulted in an increase in unauthorized vacation rentals, thereby exacerbating the problems of overtourism and overcrowding.
Enrique Gómez Bastida, who leads the department fighting against unlawful residences in Ibiza, stated that the increase in holiday homes and additional spaces rented within houses has put strain on the island’s scarce resources.
Rising real estate costs have led to such a significant housing crisis that numerous local employees—including judges, law enforcement personnel, and medical staff—are now finding it unaffordable to reside in these areas. As a result, residents are being compelled to relocate to makeshift settlements and even camp out in tents.
And tourists have been affected, too. In some cases, holidaymakers arrive on the island to find they have been tricked into paying for non-existent flats or even phantom luxury villas, Gómez Bastida, a former lieutenant colonel in the Civil Guard, said.
Housing availability is truly a significant issue,” he stated to The i Paper. “The rise in tourist accommodations leads to overpopulation on the island and thus disrupts the balance within the tourism system.
Ibiza’s population is approximately 160,000 residents; however, over 3.6 million visitors flocked to both Ibiza and its nearby small sister island, Formentera, just last year.
The local council aims to combat unauthorized taxi services and cap the number of rental vehicles at 16,000 to alleviate traffic jams on the island’s roads.
Mr. Gómez Bastida mentioned that only 2,300 legitimate tourist accommodations possess licenses, yet determining the exact count of unauthorized villas, rooms, mobile homes, and campgrounds listed illegally alongside them proves challenging.
Penalties as high as €500,000 (£426,500) may be levied against individuals running unlicensed tourist accommodations, yet this doesn’t prevent people from repeatedly posting advertisements for unauthorized apartments on rental sites, often without the knowledge of these platforms.
Airbnb, Booking.com and other tourist letting companies are working with the Ibiza Consell, the island’s ruling body, to crackdown on illegal tourist accommodation, he said.
Read Next:
The inhabitants of Ibiza residing in slums who hold tourism responsible
In cities such as Barcelona, inspectors have found that criminal organizations generate significant profits from unlawful apartments. Nevertheless, Gómez Bastida mentioned that in Ibiza, the individuals responsible tend to be locals engaged in real estate speculation. Those targeting the British market typically employ “middlemen” fluent in English. Additionally, some non-resident foreign owners choose to lease their properties as well.
Regardless of who is at fault, the outcome remains unchanged: “There are more individuals facing challenges related to movement, water usage exceeding sustainable levels, excessive energy consumption, and strain on communal resources like waste disposal,” stated Gómez Bastida.
“The issue of unauthorized supply leads to overcrowding, thus causing an imbalance,” he noted.
Even as the island’s officials work to address the problem, they are simultaneously striving to attract visitors to Ibiza all year round rather than just during the busy summer season, aiming to distribute the impact more evenly.
Gomez Bastida stated, “It is our collective duty to protect the environment.”
Leave a Reply