Sant Joan and Ibiza business leaders say more visitors are arriving for the island’s leisure and nightlife, staying for just a few hours and leaving without booking accommodation, although there is still no data to measure the scale of the trend.
Arrive in Ibiza, spend a few hours on the island, go out partying, sleep or rest wherever possible and leave without ever setting foot in a hotel. This type of visitor is appearing increasingly frequently on social media and is now attracting the attention of some of Ibiza’s leading business representatives.
María Costa, president of the Hotel Federation of Ibiza and Formentera (Fehif), and Alfonso Rojo, president of the Small and Medium-Sized Business Association of Ibiza and Formentera (Pimeef), both acknowledge that this visitor profile exists and is becoming more visible. However, neither organisation currently has figures that would show how significant the phenomenon actually is.
The concern is not so much about visitors choosing short stays, but rather what they contribute to Ibiza’s economy when their time on the island is limited to just a few hours and most of their spending is concentrated on leisure and nightlife.
A trend both organisations say is growing
Costa says this type of visitor has become increasingly noticeable in recent years and that this summer the phenomenon has been particularly visible compared with previous seasons.
“It is a type of customer because, to be honest, I find it difficult to call them a tourist,” she says.
According to Costa, these visitors arrive with a very specific purpose: to enjoy Ibiza’s leisure offering and then leave without paying for accommodation and with very limited spending on other services.
Rojo also confirms that Pimeef is aware of the emerging trend, although he stresses that there is still not enough data to determine how much it has actually grown.
The business association president points out that tourist stays have been getting shorter for years. “Fifteen-day holidays gradually gave way to week-long trips, and then to four- or five-day breaks.”
Now, he says, a different pattern is beginning to emerge: visitors who stay for 24 or 36 hours.
For Rojo, this evolution means tourism statistics may need to be examined differently. “Perhaps we will have to distinguish between the volume of visitors and the length of their stays,” he suggests.
“They occupy space, but there is no economic return”
The issue where both organisations largely agree is the economic impact of this type of visitor.
According to Costa, “a visitor who does not sleep in regulated accommodation, barely uses restaurants and does not stay long enough to explore the island or go shopping generates very little return for the economy as a whole.”
“That person occupies space, but there is no economic return,” the Hotel Federation president says.
In her view, this creates a difficult balance, because visitors make use of beaches, roads and other public spaces and services, while their spending is not distributed across the different sectors that make up Ibiza’s tourism economy.
Rojo makes a similar point, while stressing that Pimeef has always maintained that “every tourist who comes is welcome.” He also says the organisation does not intend to criminalise nightlife, which he considers an essential part of Ibiza’s appeal.
The problem arises, he argues, when virtually all of the visitor’s spending is concentrated on a single product.
“When only one very specific sector benefits from that, it is difficult for the other 98% of sectors to be happy,” he says.
Ibiza nightlife remains a key attraction, but spending is concentrated
Neither Pimeef nor the Hotel Federation is blaming Ibiza’s nightlife and clubbing sector, or questioning the importance of leisure tourism to the island.
Rojo is particularly emphatic on this point. He describes Ibiza as a “world leader in leisure and nightlife”, thanks to the work of many businesses, and says that this international positioning should be preserved.
His concern is instead with a model in which visitors come exclusively to consume that particular product for a few hours before leaving the island.
“When people only come to enjoy that product during extremely short stays, I don’t think it is good for the rest of the island,” he says.
Costa makes a similar observation. According to the Hotel Federation president, “this visitor does not come to experience Ibiza in the traditional way, explore different parts of the island, eat in restaurants, rent a vehicle or stay for several days.”
Showers and lockers: a growing business in Ibiza
Another indication identified by both business leaders is the emergence of establishments specifically targeting people who spend several hours in Ibiza but do not have accommodation.
Costa says there are increasingly more businesses offering showers, luggage storage and lockers, particularly in areas such as Ses Figueretes and Platja d’en Bossa.
For the Fehif president, the growing number of these businesses suggests that there is increasing demand from people who want to spend the day or night on the island without booking a hotel room.
The Hotel Federation believes the authorities should check “whether these businesses comply with the relevant requirements and regulations.”
Hotel day passes offer another way to spend the day without booking a room
Pimeef points to another trend associated with this type of short-stay Ibiza visitor: the growing use of hotel day passes.
Rojo explains that “certain establishments allow visitors to use facilities such as swimming pools, services and food and drink options for several hours without having to book a room.”
According to the Pimeef president, some visitors who spend very little time in Ibiza are using this option to rest during the day after going out partying at night.
He also says that social media influencers are already sharing recommendations for the best hotels where visitors can buy these passes without staying overnight.
For Rojo, the model at least allows hotels to generate some revenue from customers who would otherwise not book accommodation at all.
More data is needed to understand Ibiza’s short-stay visitors
Both organisations say that obtaining reliable data will be important before considering any potential response.
As Rojo explains:
“It would be interesting to know how many travellers stay in Ibiza for less than 24 or 48 hours.”
He believes Aena, Spain’s airport operator, could provide information that would help analyse these movements and establish what proportion of passengers arriving on the island leave just a few hours later.
At present, however, there are no figures available from either organisation that establish the actual size of this visitor segment.
Should Ibiza take action?
Neither organisation is currently proposing a specific measure to curb this type of tourism, although both believe its evolution needs to be monitored and better understood.
Costa advocates examining the situation surrounding businesses specialising in showers and luggage storage, including whether the services they provide comply with existing regulations.
Rojo, meanwhile, believes Ibiza should not promote a tourism model based on extremely short stays and points instead to the need to encourage longer visits.
Pimeef plans to raise the issue in the forums where it participates as a social partner, including social dialogue and tourism working groups.
