The first tourists of the season in Ibiza: “It is not normal for it to rain this much here, is it?”

Easter is beginning in Ibiza and, with it, the first tourists of the season are arriving on the island—visitors who are as welcome as rain in May for a local economy so dependent on the sector. However, for now, businesses must make do with March showers, which fall intermittently on this Sunday morning in Ibiza.

As a result, the streets near the port appear empty, and the few people out and about hurry along, clutching their umbrellas to avoid the rain. At first glance, it does not seem like the best time to find those first visitors who will enjoy Ibiza over the coming months. Still, it is worth a try.

Sheltering under the ledge of a building in front of a shop window are Joaquina González and Francisco Amate, waiting for the downpour to pass. They explain that they come from Cantabria, from the town of Laredo, and that their four-day stay on the island ends this very Sunday, so they are making the most of their final hours in Ibiza.

Amate explains that he comes from another tourist-oriented municipality: “In summer we are more than 100,000 people, while in winter we barely reach 10,000”. For that reason, he says they are “used to tourists” and have decided to travel to other places during quieter times of the year. “When there are fewer people, that is when you meet the real locals and get to know their customs”, he reflects. It is easier for them to organise their time, as he is retired and she is semi-retired and works two days a week.

González says the island caught their attention because “it is very beautiful”. They had already visited Mallorca and Menorca, which they also “really enjoyed”. “We had to keep discovering islands”, she jokes. She adds that the places they liked most in Ibiza were the capital and Formentera, which they visited on a short trip, although they also went to Sant Antoni, Santa Eulària and the Las Dalias market. “More or less the idea people have of the island”, she sums up.

Amate says he has been surprised by how “green” the destination is, and appreciates that it is “all nature”. González has been impressed by the crystal-clear waters of the Pityusic Islands: “We are very used to seeing the sea, but you never stop enjoying it”. “It is not normal for it to rain this much here, is it?” Amate asks, looking up at the sky.

“We will have to come back to Ibiza again”

The Portal de ses Taules is another must-see spot for any visitor to Ibiza. Andrés García, Maria Antònia Martorell and Petra Rodríguez, three retirees from Palma who arrived on the island through the Imserso programme, have not missed it. However, they have had to settle for looking at the main entrance to Dalt Vila through a window in a nearby café while having coffee.

García explains that the group has spent a week on the island and will return to Mallorca on Monday. Rodríguez adds that they had planned to visit Dalt Vila that day, but will not go in because the rain could make them slip on the steep streets of the walled area. “We have had a week of good weather”, Martorell consoles herself, adding with humour: “We will have to come back to Ibiza again”.

As expected, all three say they have enjoyed their visit. Rodríguez explains that it is not her first time on the island, but that this time they have explored it more thoroughly: “We have seen many things we had not seen before”. In fact, Martorell adds that the first time she visited Ibiza was “40 years ago”. “Sometimes you go somewhere when you are young and return when you are older and feel disappointed, but that does not happen to me here”, she says.

She also explains that what they liked most were the inland villages such as Santa Gertrudis: “The beaches in Ibiza are very good, but we also have them in Mallorca, so they do not surprise us as much”. Like the previous interviewees, Rodríguez appreciates travelling before the peak tourist season, something she knows well from Palma: “You enjoy it more this way. The high season here must be terrifying”. Martorell adds that although the group likes parties, they are not coming “for the Ibiza nightlife madness”.

Two stag and hen parties

Those who had come to the island looking for a bit more of that kind of fun are the French visitors Thibaut, Jennifer and Yohann, who are waiting near the taxi rank at the port with their suitcases, ready to return home to Normandy. Thibaut explains that they are part of a group of 14 friends who have celebrated both a stag party and a hen party. Yes, Jennifer and Yohann are getting married and came together to the island to go out and enjoy the nightlife.

Thibaut says that none of the group had been to Ibiza before and that they have enjoyed their first visit, even if it is not the most typical time for nightlife. He admits it is “not the best season for parties”, but says he has felt “very welcome”. Jennifer, for her part, points out that many “restaurants and bars” are not yet open, and that her friends had not revealed the destination of the trip, so arriving on the island was a “surprise”.

She refers to the heavy rain falling in the city, which is now intensifying: “When you think of Ibiza, you think of sun. We did not expect this”. “The weather is a bit like back home”, Thibaut laughs. “Are you interviewing people in the street in this weather? That is crazy”, Yohann jokes with the reporter as the group says goodbye.

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