Ibiza (Spain) World Heritage Site: Socio-Urban Processes in a Touristified Space

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a big shift in analyses of historic centres, with the spotlight turning from the issue of urban degradation and the ageing population to studies of the risks associated with touristification and gentrification. The island of Ibiza is one of the Mediterranean’s leading tourist destinations, and its capital is one of the fifteen Spanish cities declared as World Heritage Sites (UNESCO). This study aimed to explore the touristification of Ibiza’s historic centre (a World Heritage Site). To do so, it explored three interrelated variables, the historic centre’s demographic dynamics, tourist accommodations, and heritage, through an analysis of heritage interventions derived from the UNESCO declaration. The methodology was based on the statistical use of demographic and tourism accommodation data on an inter-urban scale by mapping the main results, as well as on a study of the heritage data from the municipal catalogue. We concluded that the old city is in a state of change, both socially (with a demographic decline and drop in the native population) and culturally. All this reinforces its role as a supplier of complementary tourism services and as a museumized space for sun and sand resorts in the rest of the city and throughout the island.