As reported by the Balearic Islands public broadcaster IB3, this group gathered last week at “Cala Saladeta” – a popular beach favored by tourists, reports “Fox News”.
The protest was organized by a local youth group – the Ibiza Youth Association. Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands belonging to Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is visited by many tourists, and its population increases significantly during the summer months.
In Ibiza, nearly 1.2 million tourists visited in the second quarter of 2025 – data provided by the Balearic Islands Statistics Institute. As reported by IB3, the organizers held the action “against the influx of tourists,” and activists handed out watermelons to express the demand that “local residents should be able to use the island’s public spaces.”
In their manifesto, the group stated that “our land and culture are being directly pushed out of public spaces, and increasingly from private ones as well, leaving them only as tourist attractions,” reports the local media outlet “Cadena SER”.
The manifesto also criticizes the tourism model focused on “wealthy foreigners and famous party lovers,” emphasizing that housing, food, and other living expenses have become unaffordable for local residents.
“The youth are fed up with not being able to enjoy the island as tourists do; we believe we can no longer continue to give up spaces to visitors attracted by this exploitative tourism model, which makes our life in Ibiza increasingly unsafe,” the manifesto adds, as cited by “Cadena SER”.
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The island’s coves, which attract tourists during the peak summer season, were also mentioned in the group’s manifesto. “The coves must become ours again – clean and peaceful,” the manifesto states. “We have decided to reclaim places of tranquility, including during the summer period,” the statement adds.
In response to recent protests, Ibiza Island Council President Vicent Marí stated that the island was a “pioneer” in fighting against excessive tourist flows; this is reported by “Cadena SER”. The protest in Ibiza takes place against the backdrop of broader tensions over mass tourism throughout Spain.
In recent years, residents of Barcelona have taken to the streets to protest against mass tourism, with some demonstrators spraying water from toy guns at tourists.
In Mallorca – another Balearic Island belonging to Spain – widespread videos have captured pickpockets targeting tourists near the island’s capital, Palma.
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