Ibiza: Life cycle and Evolution as a Tourist destination

The island of Ibiza is a second generation tourist destination that developed in the second half of the 20th century. According to previous studies, Ibiza would be in the stagnation or decline phase of the Tourism Area Life Cycle, because it combines elements of stagnation and decline. The objective of this paper is to carry out an exploratory study among businessmen and workers in the service sector of Ibiza on their perception in relation to various characteristics and changes that occurred in tourism during the years 2014 to 2018, characterized by record numbers of tourist arrivals and the development of a luxury supply with very high prices. A convenience sampling with quotas by sector (hotels, restaurants and other services) and municipality (Eivissa, Sant Antoni de Portmany and Santa Eularia des Riu) was carried out in December 2018, obtaining a total sample of 90 people. The perception of the changes that have taken place is mostly negative: there is a nostalgia for the past and they consider that the island has worsened in the last 50 years; the lack of connections in winter is a serious problem in the workplace; the behavior of tourists has changed a lot in the last 5 years; the price-quality ratio of the supply is not adequate; and it is not clear whether luxury tourism and the increase in 5-star hotels is positive.