Ibiza seeks power to limit pressure on its beaches

Ibiza wants to decide what each beach and stretch of coast can cope with before setting rules on access and permitted uses. The Island Council of Ibiza put the demand to the Balearic Parliament on 2 September, arguing that the planned Coastal Law should give the island more control over visitor pressure.

Island vice-president Mariano Juan said pressure on an island could not be tackled with one measure alone. Decisions must cover how many people a place can support, how they arrive and how they move around, he said.

Fewer vehicles, more public transport users

The Island Council said vehicle entries to Ibiza fell by almost 13% between May and June, around 10,300 fewer vehicles. Public transport recorded 40% more users in August.

Juan also cited Frontur data showing a fall in accommodation outside the regulated market in June and July, while occupancy in the regulated market held steady.

Ibiza calls for stronger coastal role

The future Coastal Law, known in Spanish as the Ley del Litoral, should carry the island's visitor-flow policies onto beaches and the coast, the council says. Each location should be assessed on what it can handle before access and activities are organised.

Juan said Ibiza's beaches did not all need the same response. He called for island councils to have a stronger role in coastal planning and backed a middle ground on seasonal services and beach kiosks: neither unrestricted use nor blanket bans.

The council also wants any transfer of powers to come with effective, properly funded responsibility. Funding should reflect each island's real management workload, it said, rather than the number of kilometres of coastline.

Topics: Sea & coast · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com