Two British holidaymakers have been arrested in Ibiza after allegedly trying to flee a cruise ship without paying a large room service bill. Spanish police detained the pair, a 23-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, at Ibiza Airport after they reportedly left the vessel “in a hurry” with their luggage.
The National Police in Ibiza said the couple were stopped on Wednesday (May 21) at the island’s airport. They are accused of leaving the ship without paying a bill worth €3,134, which is around £2,685. A police spokesperson confirmed the arrests in a statement shared on Thursday. “On Wednesday Spanish National Police officers arrested a man aged 23 and a woman aged 18 who are both British as the suspected authors of a crime of fraud for refusing to pay several consumptions during their stay on board a cruiser liner,” the statement read.
It added: “The couple tried to leave the cruise liner in a hurry with their luggage, declining to pay the cost of expenditure linked to their holiday, around 3pm on May 21.”
It’s understood the pair had tried to push past crew members as they left the ship. Police were called to the port and launched a search operation, which led to the arrests three hours later at 6pm.
It’s not known which cruise company the holidaymakers were travelling with, and it has not yet been confirmed if they have appeared in court.
The incident comes as Ibiza continues to crack down on mass tourism, which has sparked protests among residents and concerns from local officials.
As part of efforts to control the number of visitors and traffic on the island, new rules are being introduced this summer that limit the number of rental cars and impose a new €1-a-day tourist tax on vehicles.
Ibiza’s council has capped the number of hire cars allowed at 16,000 this season – a significant drop from the nearly 28,000 requested by companies.
Some 74 firms have been granted quotas, and the largest operators will now face higher fees based on the size of their fleet.
New rules also mean anyone bringing their own car to the island will need daily authorisation and must pay a fee, which will apply between June and the end of September.
Ramón Reus, the head of the Balearic Islands’ Vehicle Rental Association, said the move is welcome and part of a wider responsibility to ease road congestion.
“Let’s see how the summer works. As islands, we must work together to create a better place,” he told Periódico de Ibiza.
Despite opposition from some quarters, including an appeal by shipping company Baleària, the council says the measures reflect the wishes of the Ibizan people and are likely to go ahead as planned.
