This Popular Beach Destination In Spain Is Limiting Tourist Vehicles This Summer
Between June 1 and September 30, a new regulation has been implemented on the island of Ibiza to limit the number of vehicles used by non-residents to a maximum of 20,000 per day, according to a report in El Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera. Of this daily cap, 16,000 spots are allocated for rental cars available on the island, while the remaining 4,000 are reserved for privately owned vehicles arriving via ferry, provided they obtain prior authorisation.
Additionally, caravans must prove they have a confirmed booking at a designated camping area, as overnight parking in natural areas is strictly prohibited. Motorbikes, however, are not subject to these seasonal limitations.
Vicent Marí, president of Ibiza's local government, explained that the initiative is designed to 'ensure the sustainability" of the island, which is home to approximately 1,50,000 residents but welcomes around 3.6 million tourists annually. This heavy influx also affects the neighbouring island of Formentera, which has already introduced its own vehicle restrictions.
Official figures show a dramatic increase in traffic over the past 20 years, with the number of vehicles on Ibiza's roads surging from 51,000 in 2002 to 2,07,000 in 2022. Marí acknowledged that some sectors—including rental car companies and large businesses—had opposed the new vehicle limits. Nonetheless, he stressed the necessity of regulating what he described as 'unsustainable" tourist numbers.
The broader Balearic archipelago, which includes Mallorca and Menorca along with Ibiza and Formentera, attracts roughly 19 million tourists each year. This makes the region a major contributor to Spain's tourism industry, which sees about 94 million visitors annually, ranking it second only to France as a global travel destination. Mallorca, another popular Balearic island, is also reportedly preparing to introduce similar vehicle control measures shortly.
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Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
What is the answer to overtourism?
Tourism is booming all over the world. In 2024 there were around 1.5 billion holiday makers, setting the second highest ever record after 2019. From Gran Canaria to Mallorca and Rome, many population destinations are now overcrowded with visitors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Overtourism describes the excessive, and often simultaneous, rush of vacationers to one place. According to the UN World Tourism Organization it is usually defined as the point at which locals or visitors feel tourism has negatively impacted the quality of life in a region to an unacceptable degree. All of this applies to the seven Canary Islands. The archipelago in the Atlantic, home to 2.2 million locals, hosted a total of 15.2 million visitors last year — and a new record is expected this year. While tourism accounts for more than a third of the islands' economy, it is mainly large investors that profit, according to local groups. Rents are exploding, the environment is suffering and living space for the local population is becoming scarce as property owners capitalise on lucrative short-term rentals. How does overtourism impact the environment? Overtourism exacerbates the existing problems of heavy tourism and often stretches infrastructure and local resources to their limit. Noise, littering, drones flying through the air to take holiday snapshots and traffic jams are just a few of the less pleasant aspects of surges in visitors. Landscapes are often altered by additional footpaths or new parking lots catering to tourists, disrupting the local flora and fauna. Tourism threatens water resources, especially on islands and in warm regions as vacationers, particularly wealthy ones, generally consume more water than locals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Waste water is also often a problem. For example, the wastewater discharged into the sea off the popular Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca has caused underwater seagrass beds, important helpers in the fight against the climate crisis, to shrink considerably. Is overtourism fueling the climate crisis? Emissions from tourism increased by 65% between 1995 and 2019. Today it is today responsible for 8% to 10% of all global greenhouse gas travel is the main driver of its growing climate impact. While flying accounts for a quarter of all vacation trips, it is responsible for three quarters of tourism emissions . Added to this are emissions from local transportation, accommodation and leisure activities. The general rise in travel often leads to overtourism: If more people are traveling, particularly popular destinations become more crowded. Short trips are becoming more popular. Last year, Germans alone took around 94 million short trips — an increase of almost a quarter compared to the previous year. This type of travel is particularly damaging to the climate, as the largest proportion of tourists' CO2 emissions comes from the journey to and from a destination. More short trips equals more arrivals and departures, and this means more emissions. What causes overtourism? According to the Swiss non-profit organisation fairunterwegs, air travel has a particularly influential role in driving overtourism. They say the existence of nearby airports, particularly if they are served by low-cost airlines, encourages the emergence of overtourism. Mallorca, for example, would probably not be as popular if people had to travel there by ship. However cruise ships are also criticised for exacerbating the problem. Cruise ship tourists tend to go ashore for only a few hours, putting a strain on local infrastructure and contributing relatively little to the local economy, as they are usually fully catered for on board. And then there is the phenomenon of so-called set-jetting. The filming locations of popular TV series often experience a huge spike in visitor numbers. On Maui and Sicily, the filming locations for the first two seasons of US series "The White Lotus," the number of guests has risen by 20% since the islands appeared on-screen. Dubrovnik in Croatia, where much of Game of Thrones was filmed, is also suffering from overtourism. And in Hallstatt, Austria, a local initiative is fighting against the impact of a tourism surge, likely driven by the picturesque town being featured in the South Korean Netflix series "Spring Waltz." Can overtourism be prevented? Some cities and regions are trying to limit the number of travelers at certain times or altogether. In Venice, day tourists have to pay up to €10 and Lisbon charges cruise ship operators €2 for every disembarking passenger. Tenerife is restricting access to the summit of the Pico del Teide volcano to 300 visitors per day. 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News18
3 days ago
- News18
This Popular Beach Destination In Spain Is Limiting Tourist Vehicles This Summer
Between June 1 and September 30, a new regulation has been implemented on the island of Ibiza to limit the number of vehicles used by non-residents to a maximum of 20,000 per day, according to a report in El Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera. Of this daily cap, 16,000 spots are allocated for rental cars available on the island, while the remaining 4,000 are reserved for privately owned vehicles arriving via ferry, provided they obtain prior authorisation. Additionally, caravans must prove they have a confirmed booking at a designated camping area, as overnight parking in natural areas is strictly prohibited. Motorbikes, however, are not subject to these seasonal limitations. Vicent Marí, president of Ibiza's local government, explained that the initiative is designed to 'ensure the sustainability" of the island, which is home to approximately 1,50,000 residents but welcomes around 3.6 million tourists annually. This heavy influx also affects the neighbouring island of Formentera, which has already introduced its own vehicle restrictions. Official figures show a dramatic increase in traffic over the past 20 years, with the number of vehicles on Ibiza's roads surging from 51,000 in 2002 to 2,07,000 in 2022. Marí acknowledged that some sectors—including rental car companies and large businesses—had opposed the new vehicle limits. Nonetheless, he stressed the necessity of regulating what he described as 'unsustainable" tourist numbers. The broader Balearic archipelago, which includes Mallorca and Menorca along with Ibiza and Formentera, attracts roughly 19 million tourists each year. This makes the region a major contributor to Spain's tourism industry, which sees about 94 million visitors annually, ranking it second only to France as a global travel destination. Mallorca, another popular Balearic island, is also reportedly preparing to introduce similar vehicle control measures shortly.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Popular Spanish Destination Limits Tourist Cars, Caravans
Spain's island of Ibiza -- a hugely popular Mediterranean destination -- from Sunday started limiting the number of incoming tourist cars and caravans because of the huge numbers of visitors it gets. From June 1 to September 30, the daily number of vehicles used by non-residents is now capped at 20,000, the local government explained to one of the island's newspapers, El Periodico de Ibiza y Formentera. Of those, 16,000 are rental cars available on the island, while the rest of the quota is for private cars making ferry crossings, as long as they get a prior authorisation to do so. Caravans also need to show they have a reservation at a camping site, and are not allowed to be parked anywhere in the countryside. Motorbikes are excluded from the seasonal restrictions. The head of Ibiza's government, Vicent Mari, told the newspaper that the change was to "guarantee the sustainability" of the island, which has 150,000 inhabitants but receives some 3.6 million tourists per year, along with the smaller Formentera island nearby. Official statistics show that the number of vehicles on the island's roads quadrupled over the past two decades, from 51,000 in 2002 to 207,000 in 2022. Mari said various interests operating in Ibiza -- including car-rental firms and big companies -- had resisted the limits, but argued that were necessary "to regulate and control unsustainable (tourist) flows". Formentera island already restricts vehicles, and another Balearic islands hotspot, Mallorca, is planning to do so next year. Altogether, the Balearic islands attract 19 million tourists per year, a sizable part of the 94 million who visit all of Spain, which is the second-biggest destination for visitors in the world, after France.
