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EXCLUSIVE The homeless Ibiza workers forced to camp in shanty towns after being priced out by spiralling rents on party island… as tourists revel in luxury
An army of homeless Ibiza workers are being forced to sleep in makeshift camps after being priced out of their homes.
Striking images show what looks like a shanty town with makeshift accommodation on a patch of scrubland dubbed Can Rova 2.
In contrast, just a few miles away, tourists, including hundreds of thousands of Brits, party the night away and stay in luxurious villas and hotels.
Residents blame overtourism for the crippling housing crisis that has gripped the party island.
Famed for its vibrant nightlife, crystal-clear waters, sandy beaches and warm sunshine, Ibiza's allure comes at a cost.
There simply is not enough housing to accommodate the millions of tourists who visit each year, leading to a surge in illegal holiday rentals.
The situation has been made worse by the conversion of residential properties into short-term holiday lets, shrinking the supply of long-term rentals.
Enrique Gómez Bastida, director of the department that combats illegal housing in Ibiza, said the rise of tourist villas and even extra rooms rented out in houses has stretched the island's resources to the limit.
Soaring property prices have caused a housing crisis so severe that many municipal workers – including judges, police officers and medial workers – are now unable to afford to live there.
Locals have been forced to move into shanty towns and even tents.
However, it is not residents alone who have been impacted by the crisis but some tourists too.
In some cases, holidaymakers arrive on the island to find they have been tricked into paying for non-existent flats or even phantom luxury villas, Gómez Bastida, a former lieutenant colonel in the Civil Guard, said.
'Housing access is a real and serious problem,' he told The i Paper.
'Increasing tourist accommodation poses a problem of overcrowding on the island and therefore, an imbalance in the tourist ecosystem.'
The island's council has recently introduced a major new rule designed to combat overtourism.
It is now limiting the number of tourist cars and caravans that can visit.
In place from June 1, the rule is set to run until September 30 throughout peak season in Ibiza.
During the four-month period, only 20,168 vehicles used by non-residents will be allowed on the island.
Up to 16,000 of these can be rental cars while the other 4,108 will be for tourists who travel by ferry to the island with their own vehicle.
Tourists who want to take their own car to Ibiza will need to obtain a permit at a cost of €1/84p per day.
Caravan owners will need to provide evidence of a campsite booking and will not be allowed into Ibiza if they plan to wild camp at the side of the road.
Although Ibiza has just 160,000 residents, it gets more than three million tourists per year.
As the number of tourists has risen, more cars have hit the road, causing congestion across the island.
Ibiza has recently seen protests against tourism with locals complaining that the industry has caused housing to become unaffordable.
Last year, more than 1,000 protestors took to the streets in Ibiza to rage against mass tourism.
And, earlier this month thousands of locals marched across Spanish Islands to tell Brits to 'go home' as part of widespread protests against so-called 'overtourism'.
Holidaymakers were visibly stunned by the dramatic demonstrations in Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza on June 15.
Around 1,000 protesters took part in the Ibiza march organised by major anti-tourism platform Canviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations in the Spanish holiday hotspot over the last year.
Security was stepped up to protect tourists from the demonstrators, who left Portal de Ses Taules in the town centre at around 6pm and ended at Plaza de sa Graduada, in front of the courts at 9pm.
