Housing, Water Shortages, Illegal Tourist Accommodation, and Staffing Issues: The Main Concerns Keeping Ibiza’s Hoteliers Awake at Night
“We have analyzed the short period of the season we have experienced so far: Easter was marked by an early holiday period and was heavily influenced by the weather. Even so, all hotels that were open reached 100% occupancy during the peak days of the holidays,” explained María Costa Roig, president of the Ibiza and Formentera Hotel Business Federation, following the Annual General Assembly held this Friday at the Parador de Ibiza.
“May has been quite similar to the 2025 season; we have reached an average occupancy rate of 66%,” Costa noted. “It was two points above the previous season, so we can say it has consolidated.” The Federation president added that “regarding the municipalities, the situation has been very similar to 2025. Perhaps the areas that have grown less or slowed down more were the north of the island and Formentera, but it has not been very significant,” given that the numerical difference is minimal.
Challenges facing the sector
The president of the Federation explained that the challenges affecting the sector “remain the same”: “housing, water supply issues, illegal tourist accommodation…”. Regarding the water crisis, she stated that the Federation is “focused on finding solutions to complete the water cycle and make better use of desalinated water.”
“We support the construction of a fourth desalination plant in order to relieve pressure on the aquifers,” she said.
Regarding illegal tourist accommodation, Costa explained that the Federation makes a “very positive assessment of the work and progress achieved” by the Consell together with local councils. “We believe further work is needed to find the necessary balance between tourists and residents that these islands require.”
Although hotels have been able to start the season with full staffing levels, she acknowledged that “this is a problem that has unfortunately become a tradition at the beginning of every season.” However, she recognized that hoteliers are making “titanic efforts” to fill positions by offering accommodation whenever possible.
“Obviously, this is not our main role or responsibility, but we do contribute to it. We ask public administrations for support, and we support the creation of housing specifically aimed at seasonal workers, provided minimum standards of comfort and dignity are guaranteed,” she added.
When asked whether staffing levels are fully covered, she explained: “We are not yet at the peak of the season; hotels are still opening now.”
Season outlook
“We still need to complete May, but based on how the first half of the month has gone, we expect the season to be good, even slightly better than last year,” said the Federation president.
“We started the season with a somewhat uncertain international outlook, but as the season evolves, we realize that the Balearic Islands represent a safe destination for tourists — especially Europeans — who see our islands as a place where they can travel peacefully. This seems likely to have only a moderate impact on the overall season results.”
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