British tourists warned European island 'doesn't have enough locals left to run things'

The cost of rents and mortgages, which activists say is being pushed up by over-tourism, is prompting people to leave Ibiza, one of the most popular Balearic Islands.

This, in turn, is harming public services, as there aren't enough people available to work in them, it has been claimed.

Iván Fidalgo, a Guardia Civil officer and local coordinator for the Spanish Association of Civil Guards, told Euronews Travel: "They sell Ibiza as a first-class resort, but it is not because it doesn’t even have the public services because there are not enough people to work in them."

Many of the locals who don't leave the island are forced to leave in cramped accommodations or relocate in caravans, campaigners have claimed.

Ibiza attracts on average three million tourists a year, some 800,000 of which are Britons. 

In 2023, the Balearics as a whole saw an unprecedented surge of international interest, attracting 14.4 million visitors from abroad - who spent collectively £14.75bn (€17.22bn).

Tourism is a majorly important industry for the archipelago, creating 200,000 jobs locally and generating 45 percent of the islands' GDP.

However, an increased demand for temporary accommodation created by tourism reportedly means that many locals are pushed out of their homes as they are unable to afford the increasing housing costs. 

Similar issues are being lamented by activists elsewhere in popular Spanish destinations - including the Canary Islands.

Last month, many of these islands including Tenerife held massive anti-overtourism protests, in which they demanded local governments to limit the number of visitors and curb the development of tourist stays.

Similar pleas were heard on Friday in Ibiza, where around a 1000 people took to the streets of the island's capital to demand limits on the number of tourist arrivals.