Ibiza is calling! 🍒
The magical Spanish island, known for its vibrant nightlife scene, natural beaches, and historic architecture is a summer bucket list destination for many New Yorkers, and it may soon become even more accessible.
According to Diario de Ibiza, the Ibiza’s tourism board alongside their Director of Tourism Juan Miguel Costa are working to secure direct flights from the United States nonstop to Ibiza.
The plan? To launch one weekly direct flight from here to the island, originating at the key cities of New York, Miami, and Atlanta.
Costa mentioned that confirming the nonstop flight “won’t happen overnight, as it is a complex process,” but there are at least conversations underway with many U.S. hotel chains including Marriott, Hyatt, and Six Senses to promote the travel route.
At the moment there are no direct flights at all from the U.S. to Ibiza, with American travelers having to catch connecting flights through major European cities like Madrid, London, and Paris.
The Ibiza board also cited the desire for this new flight route specifically for increased tourism revenue from the high-spending American population.
In 2023, American tourists in Spain spent an average of $2,184 during their stay, which is about $863 more than the average foreign visitor, marking a substantial 60% difference, according to that same report.
The region’s affluent group of travelers have been increasingly looking to visit the island in recent years thanks to increased popularity of nightlife, surging appeal in luxury dining, and booming interest in wellness experiences.
So what’s next?
Besides initial talks with hotels, the tourism group has continued strategic talks with travel platforms like Expedia and Booking.com to promote Ibiza’s travel presence online and through marketing campaigns. The goal with this is that once enough online demand generation is created, it becomes easier to justify direct flights.
Plus, members from the Consell de Ibiza will attend Routes Europe, a massive aviation route development conference in early April to discuss possible direct flights. Of the airlines mentioned…Delta and American Airlines.
So while there’s no confirmation quite yet on direct NYC-Ibiza flights, it appears we’re only some months or a year away.