A boisterous crowd of 1,000 protesters demanding an end to over-tourism in Spain also included environmental activists and Free Palestine zealots as they marched through Ibiza on Friday night.
Waving banners and holding up placards, the demonstrators called for more restrictions on tourism to the island, as locals argue that the transformation of Ibiza into a ‘luxury destination’ was causing serious socio-economic problems for residents.
The march was organised by major anti-tourism platform Caviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations throughout the summer in the Spanish holiday hotspot.
Security was stepped up to protect tourists from the demonstrators, who left Parc de la Pau in the town centre at around 8pm.
Caviem el Rumb is campaigning for a reduction in tourism, which it claims is having an adverse effect on Ibiza.
A boisterous crowd of 1,000 protesters demanding an end to over-tourism in Spain also included environmental activists and Free Palestine zealots as they marched through Ibiza
Waving banners and holding up placards, the demonstrators called for more restrictions on tourism to the island, as locals argue that the transformation of Ibiza into a ‘luxury destination’ was causing serious socio-economic problems for residents
One environmentally-minded protester wears a sign calling for an end to private jets
It says tourism is only helping the rich while the poor in Ibiza suffer, especially due to the lack of affordable housing.
Their cause has been heavily supported over the summer months by fellow protest group Just Stop Oil, which is concerned about the environmental impact of over-tourism and pro-Palestinian protesters, who advocate disrupting tourism to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.
Spokespersons María Cardona and Karen Killeen presented a manifesto to Ibiza’s council earlier this summer along with a request for the island to lead a ‘common reflection process’ about the situation both Ibiza and neighbouring areas are going through due to excess tourism.
It said: ‘Ibiza and Formentera are capital production centres at the service of the tourism industry.
‘An economic monoculture that has provided neither more prosperity nor more equality.
‘It has only served to make the rich richer and expel the poorest from the island.’
Anti-tourism protests have been held regularly in Spain and its surrounding islands in recent months.
In July, some 2,800 people marched along a waterfront district of Barcelona to demand a new economic model that would reduce the millions of tourists that visit the country every year.
The anger has spilled over into the Balearic islands, with ferocity at a high point in Ibiza, considered one of the more popular destinations for tourists.
In May, worn down by the decades of antisocial behaviour that includes drinking, vomiting, fighting, drug-taking, nighttime (and broad daylight) sex on the beach and hospitalisations of mostly British visitors who come each year, the Balearic government enacted a clampdown.
Campaigners held up banners saying ‘We don’t want an island of cement’ and ‘Tourism, yes but not like this’ as they massed outside Ibiza’s council HQ in May
The protestors’ demands include a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ cash to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination
From May 11, they banned the sale of alcohol in shops between 9.30pm and 8am in the three party zones of Majorca – Magaluf, Palma and Llucmajor – and San Antonio in Ibiza.
The new rules also ban drinking in the street and buying alcohol from grocery stores after 8.30pm – with fines of up to €1,500 (£1,350) or rising to €3,000 (£2,550) for more serious behaviour breaches.
Drink limits have also been introduced at all-inclusive hotels in the notorious tourist hotspots of El Arenal, Playa de Palma in Mallorca, and Sant Antoni in Ibiza in a bid to clamp down on reckless drunken behaviour.
Party boats are not allowed to canvas for business on the beaches and all bars must close by 3am.
There has also been discussion of introducing a controversial tourist tax to control the flow of visitors.
Similar demonstrations have taken place in other tourist hotspots such as Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands.
Towards the end of May, one such protest was held in Ibiza.
As many as 1,000 protestors marched against mass tourism amid backlash at boozy UK holidaymakers.
Campaigners held up banners saying ‘We don’t want an island of cement’ and ‘Tourism, yes but not like this’ as they massed outside the island’s council HQ.
The organisers of the Ibiza demo, a group called Prou Eivissa – which literally translates to ‘Enough Ibiza’, met with Ibiza’s president Vicent Mari before taking to the streets.
The protestors’ demands include a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ cash to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
In the run-up to the protest, organisers said: ‘Our beautiful island is in danger. Tourist crowds not only affect our quality of life, but also the beauty and authenticity that makes Ibiza such a special place.
Tourists, typically British, often flock to the Balearic Islands for a rowdy holiday – something many of the locals despise
‘Tourist overcrowding makes the cost of living unattainable for many residents.
‘We fight for an Ibiza where we can all live in dignity. It is time to raise our voices and protect our home.’
A Prou Eivissa spokesman said: ‘We don’t want no tourism but we want a different tourism.
‘We want some controls. We want our lovely island back.’
Spain received 85 million foreign visitors in 2023, an increase of 18.7 percent from the previous year, according to the National Statistics Institute.
The most visited region was Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, with 18 million, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).
