The regulation of vehicle entry to Ibiza and Formentera is once again at the centre of controversy. On Tuesday, Rafael Cardona, head of the Trasmapi shipping company and representative in Ibiza and Formentera for the Association of Maritime Activities Employers (APEAM), explained to Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera that the authorised vehicle quota is not actually full, ‘as the Consell d'Eivissa claims’, but is being blocked because the reservations for cars that never arrive on the island are not being updated.
In this regard, according to industry estimates, between 15 and 20% of the vehicles authorised on Formentera.eco (1,732 cars) are not physically on the island, which would be reducing the actual entry capacity in July and August, at the height of the tourist season. ‘It says that the quota is full until 23 August,’ he said.
This situation also applies to the forecasts recorded by shipping companies operating between the mainland and Ibiza, where the total daily quota was set at 4,108 private cars. Cardona pointed out that when users reserve a space to transport their vehicle, that registration number is blocked for the entire planned stay, even if the visitor ultimately does not travel or shortens their stay.
‘This means that, although the Consell assures us that the quota is full, in practice there is available space that is lost because the application does not update the data in real time,’ lamented the sector, highlighting that this problem is also affecting Ibiza residents who often travel to Formentera on weekends during the summer. "People make several reservations in advance because they are free, even if they don't travel afterwards. As these reservations are not automatically cancelled, they block other users who do want to travel," they added, explaining that the shipping companies received a letter from the Consell d'Eivissa ordering them not to sell any more vehicle tickets from Ibiza to Formentera or from the mainland to the Pitiusas because the quota was full.
Therefore, shipping companies are unable to accept new bookings or last-minute reservations. According to Rafael Cardona, this situation has resulted in a high volume of complaints from customers and business owners in Formentera. The head of the Trasmapi shipping company stated that failure to update the booking system affects not only maritime transport, but also the entire tourism industry in Formentera. «If tourists cannot bring their cars, many simply decide not to travel. This means a loss of customers for restaurants, hotels, and shops on the island,» he lamented, adding that some business owners on the smaller of the Pitiusa Islands are already referring to it as a «strange» season.
«It's worse than last year. Some businesses in Formentera are 25% below their 2024 revenue targets,’ he said, emphasising that the provisional summer balance sheet suggests 2025 is proving to be a challenging year for tourism in Formentera. According to Cardona, business owners agree that the season is 'below' that of previous years.
He explained that, in the case of maritime transport companies, the drop in users travelling with their own vehicles is estimated to be around 10% less than last summer. «It's true that the established quota puts us at a disadvantage, but we accept it because it's a decision made by the island authorities. What does not make sense is that the system is not rigorous and prevents us from making the most of the available places,» he criticised, demanding that the control mechanism be reliable and transparent. «With today's technology, it is perfectly possible to update the data daily. All that would be needed is to cross-reference the number plate information recorded by the cameras with the active reservations and automatically release those that have not entered the island. This process should be straightforward to implement electronically," he said, lamenting the fact that the current system has a deterrent effect on many customers.
Consequently, the sector has demanded that the Ibiza Council improve the management of the regulations. «The mechanism leaves much to be desired. We are not saying that it is ineffective, but it does not live up to what is expected of this control system,» they concluded.