Ibiza Locals Say Tourism Has Made Them Leave the Island
It's summer on the Spanish island of Ibiza.
The cicadas in the trees sing their summer song. The music from the nightclubs fills the air until early morning. Loud voices echo around the old town — the voices of visitors who have saved their money all year for this.
But this summer there is another sound, and it's getting louder. It's the sound of Ibiza's residents and workers, and they're shouting prou — the Catalan word for "enough."
They've had enough of overtourism, just like their neighbors on the island of Mallorca and the residents of Venice, Amsterdam, Barcelona — the list is getting longer.
In Ibiza, they don't like tourists behaving badly. But the real problem here is that local people can no longer afford to live on the island. Tourism is pushing them out of their homes.
Almost 18 million tourists visited last year. More tourists means Ibiza needs more workers to clean and work in restaurants, bars and hotels.
But these workers don't have anywhere to live. Many landlords are renting their rooms to tourists, or increasing the prices for residents.
"There are nurses and police who live in caravans," one local told Euronews.
On Spanish TV, one teacher said she takes a plane from Mallorca every morning because she can't afford to live in Ibiza.
People have been protesting in the streets and asking for a limit to the number of tourist beds on the island.
But the local government says the problem isn't tourism, but illegal tourism: unlicensed landlords advertising rooms to rent online.
Ibiza's residents know this will be another busy, noisy summer, and they don't want tourism to stop. But they do want to be able to live on their island.
