Connor McGregor parties with Wayne Lineker at Ibiza beach club

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Ibiza is often associated with partying, however the island has so much more to offer, what with its beautiful Old Town, magnificent beaches, shopping and restaurants. Yet having said this, the number of British tourists heading to the island has plummeted by almost a third.

This is much the same for quieter neighbouring island Formentera, the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands.

In June this year, nearly 38,000 fewer people from the UK visited Ibiza and Formentera than in the same month in 2019.

In these pre-Covid times, the total reached a whopping 132,042, but Britons still made up around 90,000 of the tourists this time round.

But with the pandemic no longer encouraging us to stay in the UK, why are fewer Brits visiting Ibiza?

One of the reasons for reduced travel to the island may be that while some countries have scrapped all Covid restrictions, Spain has not.

To enter Ibiza (Spain), travellers must either prove that they have been fully vaccinated, or produce a negative PCR or antigen test.

Being fully vaccinated by “immediate effect”, according to Spain’s rules, means having a booster jab.

Without the booster jab, Britons can still enter the country, however they must have had their second vaccine at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before in order to qualify.

Failing this, flyers can present a negative Covid test, either a PCR taken within 72 hours prior to departure, or an antigen taken within 24 hours prior to departure.

Or, they can prove they have recovered from Covid within the last six months.

While the restrictions are not incredibly strict, holidaymakers may be keen to spend their summer holidays in countries that have zero restrictions.

Portugal, for example, has scrapped all of its Covid restrictions.

Gov.uk reads: “There are no longer any COVID-19 vaccination, testing or passenger locator form requirements for entry to mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.”

Croatia and Greece are two more popular summer destinations which do not require proof of vaccination or a negative test.

But while some may shun Ibiza for a somewhat easier destination, others are staying away from planes all together.

With airport chaos, cancellations and flight delays becoming the norm, many couples, families and solo travellers are opting for staycations.

Nevertheless, while numbers have dropped, UK travellers still occupy the top spot for visitors to Ibiza.

More and more Brits are visiting Vila which includes its capital town.

The second most popular nationality on the islands was Spanish, with almost 61,000 Spaniards staying in Ibiza and Formentera hotels this June.

This is around 41 percent more than in June 2019.

Italian and German tourists were the third and fourth most likely tourists to the islands.

Figures from the Balearic Islands Institute of Statistics show that there is also a spectacular rise in French nationals visiting the Pityusic Islands (Ibiza, Formentera, S’Espalmador and other small islets in the Mediterranean sea).

This jumped from 8,749 in June 2019 to almost 21,000 in June 2022.

Additional reporting by Natalia Penza.

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