Alexia Hartmann, a German resident of Ibiza since childhood, has sparked debate on social media after posting an emotional and forthright video denouncing the rubbish left in one of the island’s natural beauty spots. The doctor and science communicator expresses her frustration at the waste she found and openly questions the impact of mass tourism, raising the dilemma of whether sharing the locations of Ibiza’s hidden corners online is truly a good idea.
The video opens with a shocking image: a beer can, three cigarette butts and a sanitary pad collected from a path. “Yuck!”, exclaims Hartmann, using the discovery as a springboard to address the islanders’ complicated relationship with tourism.
Ibiza’s overcrowding
Hartmann acknowledges that tourism is “essential” and “beneficial” to the local economy, as a large proportion of families and businesses depend on it. However, her criticism focuses on the darker side of the overcrowding seen in recent years. “We live in paradise — I get it, it’s beautiful and has so much to offer — but much of the tourism we receive, not all, but a large part of it, is quite destructive”, she says.
She describes this phenomenon as “filthy”, referring to the lack of respect for nature, the damage caused to natural elements and the litter it leaves behind. The young woman even questions whether, once the costs of cleaning and environmental damage are taken into account, the economic benefit is really that significant.
The dilemma of location sharing
The core of her message focuses on the responsibility of content creators when revealing the locations of Ibiza’s natural spots. Alexia admits to feeling “resistance” towards location sharing — a practice which, in her view, has transformed once quiet places on the island into crowded and degraded areas.
“We used to have many places where we could be alone… Since people started sharing locations on social media, we’ve lost many of those spots where we felt comfortable and at peace”, she laments.
Hartmann admits she feels conflicted, as she would love to “show everything” and let her followers enjoy the island’s beauty. However, she fears that by doing so, those places could become overcrowded and damaged if visitors “don’t love nature or respect it”.
Alexia Hartmann’s message has sparked a wave of reactions among her followers, opening a wider conversation about how to balance the promotion of Ibiza’s natural beauty with the urgent need to preserve it in the face of mass tourism.