Ibiza may be drawing tourists for years now thanks to its beaches and the vibrant club and nightlife atmosphere, but not everyone has been happy about it.
Recently, this disapproving opinion made itself more pronounced as over 500 people gathered at Ibiza’s main town square Vera del Rey to voice their concerns, to say the least, on the impact of “unlimited, disrespectful and excessive” tourism on the island.
Organized by a local pressure group Prou!, the activity was actually the first demonstration held in the island against the mass tourism going on there. For the first time, the protestors made their sentiments known loud and clear as they held placards and chanted lines decrying problems such as noise pollution and the privatization of beaches as a result of this mass tourism.
In a statement read during the protest, Prou!’s director Àngels Escandell said, “They keep telling us again and again that we live from tourism. But we don’t live well—we live badly. We can’t call ‘living’ having to endure the plague of uncontrolled tourism that periodically assaults our island, that initiates the season of deafening music, that brings the psychopaths driving luxury cars and the never-ending traffic jams.”
Escandell added, “The exorbitant prices of accommodation have forced us to substitute a specialized workforce, doctors, teachers and policemen for DJs and music promoters. We’ve created a monster that’s swallowed up our language and our culture.”
The protests also come at a a volatile period currently being experienced in the island as Ibiza’s officials are currently engaged in a heated debate regarding its mass tourism issue. Last month, a local council passed a law forcing all clubs and bars on the popular West End strip to close by 3 AM.
How the protest will shape future policies affecting the island remain to be seen. Nevertheless, it brings a significant development as stakeholders are trying to find ways to resolve this matter, hopefully before it is too late.
H/T: Resident Advisor
