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TOURISM

Ibiza’s favourite sunset spot drowning in selfies, DJs and rubbish

A protected natural area on the Spanish island of Ibiza has turned into a place for illegal parties, with revellers leaving behind trash and the hoards of daily visitors endangering endemic species.

Published: 9 August 2024 11:28 CEST
Ibiza's favourite sunset spot drowning in selfies, DJs and rubbish
Tourists take pictures of Es Vedra rocky island at sunset in Cala d'Hort. Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP

Ibiza is undoubtedly one of Europe’s favourite party islands, loved by clubbers, package holidaymakers and the rich and famous.

The Balearic island’s nature is also a big draw for visitors, and even though preservation and partying don’t go hand in hand, mass tourism and selfie culture have ensured that it happens anyway.

This is the case at the s’Era des Mataret area next to Ibiza’s Cala d’Hort beach, which has become known for its instagrammable sunsets . The lookout is usually referred to as the Mirador des Vedrà.

For most of the day this lookout point where Carthaginian ruins are found remains quiet, but in the hour or so leading up to sunset, it becomes overrun with tourists. 

Cars line both sides of the road leading up to the viewpoint as thousands of visitors go to watch the setting sun in front of the small islets of es Vedrà and es Vedranell.

READ ALSO: Mallorca calls new beach protest against mass tourism

Aside from the barely visible ancients ruins, this spot is part of Natura 2000, a protected area, home to a wide variety of endangered plants and animals, including nesting Balearic shearwaters (the most endangered seabird in Europe), the Eleonora falcon and the Pitiüses lizard.

The problem is that most tourists who visit Cala d’Hort are unaware, or rather are not made aware, that it’s a protected natural area.

There’s no denying that it’s naturally beautiful, but the hoards of people and the lines of jewellery and mojito sellers come sunset belie this space. 

At the beginning of summer, Thomas Wesley Pentz, also known as DJ Diplo, caused anger among locals after organising an illegal party here.

The celebrated music producer, recently uploaded a social media video to his thousands of Instagram followers, boasting about the party, despite the fact that the Sant Josep City Council have already taken disciplinary action against him.

City mayor Vicent Roig confirmed that the DJ faces a penalty of up to €300,000. In addition to the municipal fine, he will also receive a regional government sanction of between €6,000 and €100,000.

READ ALSO: Michael Douglas weighs in on Spain’s mass tourism debate 

Sant Josep City Council told El Diario newspaper “Given the obvious problems in these areas, work is being done to find solutions, but today we cannot set dates or specify what actions will be carried out. It is a matter of great complexity that requires time so that the measures carried out can be truly effective and do not fall on deaf ears”. 

As well as illegal parties, tourists are treating the area like a club, buying cocktails in plastic cups and leaving rubbish all over for others to clean up. 

One of the solutions being proposed is to restrict the number of vehicles to the area which has already happened in some places on the islands of Mallorca and Formentera. 

In Ibiza, as well as Mallorca, Menorca, Barcelona, the Canary islands and other cities across Spain, there have already been mass demonstrations against tourism this year, which has locals say has a negative effect on housing prices, the natural environment and water resources.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spain’s mass tourism protests

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PROPERTY

Is buying a property to rent out to tourists in Spain too risky now?

The quick return on investment for buying a holiday let in popular Spanish cities and towns can be very appealing, but there are increasing signs that the money-making scheme could come to an end soon. 

Published: 10 September 2024 10:32 CEST
Is buying a property to rent out to tourists in Spain too risky now?

Regardless of what you think are the causes of Spain’s housing crisis, one thing is clear: short-term holiday lets are up to four times more profitable than long-term rentals. 

Just how remunerative they are can depend on many factors (occupancy rate, location etc), but according to Spanish property portal Housfy, a tourist let provides an average net profit of 15 percent a year.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise that tourist apartments have proliferated across the country: 9.2 percent alone in the last year, which adds up to around 60,000 new ones.

As Spain welcomes more and more tourists (84 million in 2023, a record that looks set to be beaten in 2024), you’d expect the goose that laid the golden eggs to continue plugging away.

However, the simmering resentment from disgruntled residents who blame mass tourism and holiday lets for their spiralling rents does appear to be having an impact. 

OPINION: Spaniards should blame landlords, not tourists

There is currently no outright nationwide ban in Spain on Airbnb-style lets, but a growing number of small towns and big cities have taken action in recent weeks and months. 

From Dénia on the Costa Blanca to Pamplona in the north, municipalities across Spain are introducing temporary moratoriums on new licences for tourism apartments, which should in theory prevent new ones from popping up (there are tens of thousands of unlicensed holiday lets, especially in Madrid). 

READ ALSO: Which cities in Spain have new restrictions on tourist rentals?

Barcelona authorities have perhaps taken the toughest approach so far, as their mayor Jaume Collboni actually said there will be no more tourist rental flats in the Catalan city by 2028. 

READ ALSO: Can Barcelona really ban all Airbnbs?

So is it possible to envision a future where holiday lets are not allowed in Spain? And if so, would it be better for small and big investors to ditch plans to buy a Spanish property if the primary purpose of it is to let it out to tourists?

Hatred of holiday lets is on the up in Spain, the world’s second most visited country, prompting authorities to try and reconcile the interests of locals and those invested in this lucrative sector. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Spain’ Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez has on several occasions hinted at the need to “regulate tourist flats” rather than banning them entirely, although in July she did say “if we need to ban tourist flats, we will; if limiting them is enough, we’ll limit them”.

There’s been talk of legislation to ban holiday lets in residential apartment blocks, as well as putting a stop to temporary accommodation (longer than short-term lets but shorter than long-term rents). 

But in truth, things are moving slowly and the Spanish government appears to be somewhat sitting on the fence regarding restrictive measures, all too happy to pass the buck to the regions and individual town halls. 

There is clearly an awareness of all the vested interests in the holiday let industry, that not all landlords own a dozen properties, and even the legal implications of banning citizens from doing as they please with their assets.

What does seem clear is that city centre properties and those in the popular old quarters of Spanish cities and towns are most likely to be limited by local regulations, at least temporarily.

The same applies to tourist flats in residential buildings, as there is currently an amendment in the pipeline which would give communities of neighbours the power to veto new holiday lets in their blocks. 

Therefore, investors should consider whether properties that fall in these categories are future-proof in terms of short-term letting, and whether they’ll have to swap over to long-term letting at some point.

Spain’s latest Housing Law, which came into force in 2023 and sought to stop long-term rents from increasing, has actually led many landlords to either find loopholes or take their properties off the market. 

READ MORE: Why landlords in Spain leave their flats empt rather than rent long-term

With more demand and less stock, rents have logically continued to increase in 2024.

The legislation has clearly backfired, and with a boost in social housing a very long-term solution, Sánchez’s government may be forced into a corner and have to act vis-à-vis holiday lets if the situation becomes more untenable. 

READ MORE: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

A blanket ban is unlikely, as short-term rentals in more rural locations with fewer inhabitants have less of an impact on rents.

But buying a property in Spain in a central or sought-after residential area in Spain (especially in an apartment block) with the sole purpose of letting it out to tourists, now appears to have its risks as a long-term investment.

READ ALSO: VUT, AT or VV? Why Spain’s holiday let categories matter to owners

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