Ibiza at the limit, welcome to the future of the Balearic Islands

It is indeed true that the Consell d’Eivissa is the institution that has done the most to combat illegal tourist rentals. But let's not fool ourselves either, it had no other choice. Because the situation on the main Pitiusa island is simply desperate. During the summer months, you can practically not drive a car without being a victim of a traffic jam and a constant feeling of chaos and suffocation. Upon arrival at the airport, there are not enough taxis, public transport is more than improvable, and hotel entrepreneurs have said on more than one occasion that the tourist experience has worsened in recent years.

Therefore, Vicent Marí had no alternative. And he has done it. But it is not enough. Because nowadays you can no longer make that old division between hotels and apartments and a few holiday rental houses. In Ibiza, and increasingly in the rest of the islands, any building can be offered as a tourist accommodation during the summer. Therefore, the Administration currently has no capacity to establish order.

To begin with, thousands of foreigners already own properties that they rent out or leave vacant, for saturation purposes it makes no difference. Some go to live with their parents to be able to get an extra income from their homes. And it's no exaggeration. All this has left residents without housing. And, in the case of Ibiza, the situation is unsustainable. Workers sleeping in tents, or under a bridge.

The aquifers, salinized. Huge public spending to build desalination plants, and institutional inability to face the housing crisis. Unauthorized large parties, luxury yachts watching it all from the deck, and nightclubs lining their pockets amidst this mess.

The contrast is obscene, and it doesn't look good. Ibiza is ahead. We are warned.