Party island Ibiza suffers housing shortage

Ibiza is considered a vacation paradise with beautiful beaches, turquoise waters and a world-famous club scene. Every year, more than 3 million people travel to the Spanish island in search of an unforgettable holiday experience. For the island's residents, however, the tourist influx has become a major problem.

Living space is a limited commodity in Ibiza — and with prices exceeding €33 ($38) per square meter, it has become unaffordable for many locals. More and more people are living in tents and caravans or sharing tiny living spaces to save money. In Spain, protests against unaffordable housing prices and overtourism have been ongoing for months.

Almost 1,000 people now live in temporary accommodation on Ibiza. Just recently, the unauthorized camp Can Rovi 2, with nearly 200 residents, was cleared by the authorities. Hotel employees, service staff and hospital workers — all have been affected by the housing crisis. Even teachers and civil servants have been forced to commute from neighboring islands to work.

"The island is paradise, the most beautiful place I've ever seen. But there's a downside," said Jeronimo Diana, a 50-year-old water technician from Argentina who stayed at Can Rovi 2. He holds up a key to his temporary accommodation; he can't afford a monthly rent, as it would eat up most of his €1,800 ($2,000) monthly salary.

Tourism brings a lot of money to the island — to the many restaurants and bars, like the world-famous Cafe del Mar (above) — and also accommodation. Property owners can make more money renting short-term to vacationers, leaving many locals without a place to call home.

Contortionist and torch juggler Saray Benito, 32, performs regularly at Cafe del Mar in the summer tourist season. But during the winter, performances are rare. "I've moved about 20 times. At one point, I had to sleep on a balcony until I found something else," she said.

Alejandra lives with her husband and her 3-year-old son, David, in a Caritas emergency shelter. "We had money to pay rent, but since we couldn't find a place, we ended up spending it on food," she told Reuters. Social workers report that landlords routinely discriminate against families with children, and even evict tenants from their apartments to rent them to tourists during the summer.

The Spanish government has tried to speed up the construction of social housing on the island. Rent controls were introduced in 2023, but some regions have been slow to implement the rules. The national landlords' lobby ASVAL has also rejected rent controls and is pushing for more construction projects. However, there's only so much space to build on an island like Ibiza.