Overdosing Tourists in Ibiza Are Limiting Ambulance Services for Locals

Tourists partying in the island’s ‘superclubs’ are overdosing on lower-cost alternative street drugs.

Ibiza has long been a nightlife hot spot for tourists in Spain, but too much partying is taking up local emergency resources, say local health workers. It’s just another symptom of overtourism plaguing some of Europe’s most popular vacation spots, they claim. 

Ibiza is one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, with a year-round population of more than 160,000. But in the summer months, the island is beset by young tourists, mostly from Europe and North America, who have their eye on partying through the night at any number of the island’s “super clubs” which can have a capacity for up to 10,000 revelers and charge hefty covers at the door. 

Some emergency workers spoke to the New York Times, saying they are often called to the same nightclubs multiple times on busy evenings. Most of the calls, they say, are related to overuse of drugs or alcohol, which are lengthy calls that can take up to 90 minutes to resolve, eating up valuable time. 

Some workers also told the Times the calls can take even longer, because patients are often evasive or unresponsive, fearing consequences if the drugs they’ve taken are illegal. At superclubs, where covers can be in excess of $100 and drinks cost more than $25, many clubgoers, say ambulance drivers, find a lower-cost alternative in street drugs. 

Popular drugs at the island’s clubs include ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines, psychedelics (such as LSD or mushrooms), and ketamine, which is typically used in medical contexts as an anesthetic or sedative. Emergency workers say they also have to spend time figuring out what drugs are popular and on the market each season, to make sure they’re stocked with the correct medications. 

During the summer months, while emergency workers are responding to drug overdose calls by tourists, islanders often report long waits for ambulances. Stories about long waits for ambulances on Ibiza have even been aired on Spain’s national news syndicate. 

Local regulations have long required that Ibiza’s nightclubs have medical workers on staff, and a health workers’ union is demanding that local authorities also require the nightclubs to retain private ambulance services to alleviate the strain on public facilities. Spain provides free healthcare for its citizens, and a common complaint among residents is that foreign visitors are often treated by the same healthcare systems without paying.

Spain has been a flashpoint for anti-tourism protests in both 2024 and 2025. In addition to overtourism on Ibiza and neighboring Mallorca, residents in Madrid, Barcelona, and other popular tourist destinations have complained of low availability of housing and sky-high rents as some inventory is converted into short-term rentals for tourists. 

How to Party Responsibly This Summer

Visitors to Ibiza and other nightlife-centric European destinations this summer can take steps to lessen their impacts on the local community, including ensuring they have travel insurance to cover their medical expenses (most US insurance policies don’t cover medical expenses abroad). Visitors can also ensure they don’t stay in unlicensed short-term rentals by booking through a reputable operator or staying in other accommodation types like hotels, inns, guesthouses, or hostels, which are typically licensed differently. 

Travelers can also lessen their impact by treating local infrastructure respectfully, remaining vigilant to avoid overconsumption of alcohol that requires medical attention, or taking illegal, unregulated drugs that could end up in a call to emergency services. Not only would such calls take infrastructure away from the local residents who paid for them with their taxes, but tourists in need of medical services could be among those affected by long waits for ambulance response. 

It’s worth noting that visitors are subject to local laws in the countries they visit, and even a permissive atmosphere toward street drugs in nightclubs won’t prevent charges from local authorities, particularly if travelers attempt to cross international borders with illegal substances.