Ibiza worker: ‘We’re expecting the Saudi royal family, who have rented two villas for €30,000 a night’

The decline in family tourism and the arrival of high-spending visitors are already having a noticeable impact in Portinatx. That is how an employee at one of the area’s five-star hotels describes the situation, pointing to the imminent arrival of some particularly high-profile guests as an example. “We’re expecting the Saudi royal family, who have rented two villas for €30,000 a night each for two weeks, as well as several rooms for their entourage”, he explains.

The employee says the hotel is currently experiencing one of its busiest periods of the season and claims that, at the height of August, the cheapest room costs around €3,000 a night. Guests of this kind, he says, have spending power far beyond that of the traditional tourist. “They spend a lot and leave good tips, which is what matters to me”, he admits.

However, much of that spending remains within the hotel itself. According to the employee, these guests tend to dine at the resort’s various restaurants and spend very little at businesses in Portinatx. This helps explain the contrast between the high occupancy levels at luxury hotels and the quieter terraces, shops and other businesses in the town.

The employee also gives another example of the type of clientele currently staying at these establishments. According to him, around half of the hotel’s guests attended the private Egyptian-themed party held on 13 August at sa Pedrera, in Sant Antoni.