Ibiza has seen another striking protest against mass tourism, with around 100 residents gathering at Cala Saladeta on Sunday to reclaim one of the island’s most famous beaches and demand a different future for the island.

Organised by the Associació de Joves d’Eivissa (Joves d’Eivissa), the event was called a Xindriada Popular — a deliberately informal beach gathering centred around watermelon, swimming, games and spending time together — but it carried a serious message about the pressures residents say they are facing.

Rather than holding a conventional street demonstration, the organisers chose to occupy and enjoy the beach themselves, arguing that Ibiza’s public spaces should remain accessible to the people who live on the island all year.

“Wherever You Look, It’s All Tourists”

Several banners were displayed during the gathering, including messages translated as “Wherever you look, it’s all tourists” and “The island is not for sale.”

The choice of Cala Saladeta was deliberate.

The beach, near Sant Antoni, is one of Ibiza’s best-known coastal spots and becomes extremely busy during the summer season. Organisers argued that the popularity of places such as Cala Saladeta has made it increasingly difficult for residents to enjoy their own beaches during the months when tourism is at its peak.

The event was therefore presented not simply as a protest against visitors, but as a way of physically reclaiming a public space for residents.

A Beach Day With a Political Message

Participants arrived from early in the morning, with local reports putting attendance at around a hundred people or slightly more.

They brought watermelon, played games, swam and spent the morning together on the beach, while also displaying banners and reading a manifesto outlining their concerns.

The unusual format was intentional.

Joves d’Eivissa had previously explained that defending residents’ access to Ibiza’s beaches does not necessarily require a traditional demonstration. Their argument was that simply using the island’s public spaces as residents can itself become a form of protest.

The group had encouraged people to come to Cala Saladeta from around 8–9am, with free transport from Sant Antoni also arranged for participants.

“Ibiza Is at Its Limit”

The manifesto delivered during the gathering broadened the issue far beyond crowded beaches.

The organisers argued that Ibiza is “at its limit”, pointing to the pressure that tourism places on public spaces, natural areas, infrastructure and residents’ everyday lives.

They particularly highlighted the situation facing young people, arguing that the combination of rising housing costs, food prices and the general cost of living is making it increasingly difficult for residents to build a life on the island.

According to the protesters, the growth of luxury tourism has also created a sharp contrast between the island being marketed as a premium international destination and the reality faced by many people who live there year-round.

Their criticism is directed at the tourism model, rather than simply at individual visitors.

They Are Calling for “Tourism Degrowth”

One of the strongest demands from Joves d’Eivissa is a change in Ibiza’s economic and tourism model.

The group supports “decreixement turístic” — tourism degrowth, arguing that the island cannot continue increasing tourist pressure indefinitely without affecting the territory and the quality of life of residents.

They argue that Ibiza has increasingly become dependent on tourism for employment and economic activity, while local culture and everyday life risk being pushed into the background.

The association has described its vision as moving towards an Ibiza that is more sustainable, more habitable and more respectful of its residents and environment.

Housing Is One of the Biggest Issues

Housing is at the centre of the wider debate.

The protesters say that the rising price of accommodation and property, combined with the broader cost of living, is making it increasingly difficult for young people born or raised on Ibiza to remain on the island.

They also argue that an economy heavily oriented towards tourism can leave younger residents with limited options outside the sector.

This is one reason the latest protest has attracted attention beyond the issue of crowded beaches.

For the organisers, being able to afford to live on Ibiza and being able to enjoy its public spaces are part of the same conversation.

Support From Environmental Groups

The protest has also received support from GEN-GOB Eivissa, one of Ibiza’s major environmental organisations.

GEN-GOB welcomed the fact that young people were taking the initiative and speaking publicly about the pressures affecting the island.

The environmental group has called for the manifesto and demands emerging from the protest to be shared more widely, connecting the action at Cala Saladeta with the broader Balearic debate over the limits of tourism and pressure on territory and natural resources.

It Wasn't Just About Cala Saladeta

The Xindriada forms part of a series of resident-led actions taking place in Ibiza this summer.

Just days earlier, residents had gathered in La Marina de Ibiza for another community event aimed at reclaiming public space.

The two actions used very different settings but had a similar message: residents want to be able to use places in their own island that they feel have become increasingly dominated by tourism during the summer.

At Cala Saladeta, that meant turning a busy summer beach into a communal day for local residents.

At La Marina, it meant gathering for a shared meal.

Both actions were intended to demonstrate that public space can be reclaimed through everyday activities — not only through traditional demonstrations.

More Protests Could Be Coming

Joves d’Eivissa has indicated that the Cala Saladeta action will not be its final mobilisation.

The association has also announced plans to protest against the proposed expansion of Ibiza Airport, linking the airport debate to its wider criticism of continued tourism growth and the island’s development model.

That means the discussion around tourism limits in Ibiza is likely to continue well beyond the end of the summer season.

The Government Says Ibiza Is Already Taking Action

The protests have also prompted a response from Ibiza’s political leadership.

Consell de Ibiza president Vicent Marí said the island is already taking measures to control tourist pressure and described Ibiza as a pioneer in the fight against overtourism.

Among the measures he highlighted are restrictions on vehicle entry, efforts to combat illegal tourism activity and increased promotion of public transport.

Marí has also argued that the island should focus on quality rather than quantity and rejected the idea that Ibiza’s tourism model is exclusively focused on luxury.

That creates an increasingly visible divide in the debate: while authorities point to measures already being introduced to control tourism pressure, resident groups argue that much more fundamental changes are needed.

A Different Image of Ibiza

The scenes at Cala Saladeta are striking precisely because the protest took place in one of the locations that attracts the very visitors at the centre of the wider debate.

There were no barricades or major confrontations.

Instead, residents arrived with towels, watermelon, banners and beach clothes — and spent the morning swimming, playing and enjoying the coastline.

For the organisers, that was the point.

Their message was essentially that Ibiza’s beaches should not become places that residents can only enjoy outside the tourist season.

The protest reflects a broader question now being debated across Ibiza and the Balearic Islands:

How much tourism can the islands accommodate while still remaining places where local people can afford to live, work and enjoy their own home?

For Joves d’Eivissa, the answer is that the current model has gone too far — and that the island needs to begin moving in a different direction.

The Cala Saladeta protest may have looked like a beach day, but its message was much bigger:

Ibiza's young residents want their island back.