Felip Boyero of the Es Racó d'Artà Hotel says that there were customers this summer who asked to cancel their bookings because it was so hot. He understands that if there is a thermal sensation of 40 degrees, people can't enjoy eating on a terrace or going to the beach. "Climate change will accentuate all this and we can already see that more and more people are choosing to come in the autumn."
This may only be one anecdote, but it is not untypical. There is a view that tourists will avoid the summer months and prefer to come at other times of the year.
Boyero adds: "They are beginning to see that in autumn it is better because the prices are lower, there are fewer people and the weather is kinder. The season even stretches into the first half of November." This said, he believes that people will continue to come in summer despite the heat. He expects that, in the long run, it will be tourists without children who will holiday at other times because they have greater flexibility to do so. But even families, he feels, may think twice.
He is not alone in believing that it is a mistake to count on quantity of visitors - 17 million in the Balearics this year is the anticipated figure, an all-time record and by some half a million. "There is a limit to resources. Roads cannot support growth. And there is climate change, in which many do not believe."
He advocates 'regenerative tourism'. There are travellers who are aware and understand the situation in Mallorca and the Balearics. "They leave it a little better than it was. They are those who prefer to come to do basket weaving, yoga and take excursions instead of going around on a yacht. A rich person who leaves money without having any regard for the territory is of no interest." This is why the philosophy at Es Racó is a commitment to "luxury tourism of the future".
Inma Ranera is a member of the Mesa del Turismo, a private organisation of leading businesses in Spain's tourism industry. "The Balearics have been making efforts to lengthen the season for years, and climate change is likely to reverse traditional flows of tourists. There are already many foreign investors who are looking to the north of the mainland to buy a second residence. The summers in Germany, the UK and Scandinavia are increasingly warmer. Instead of coming to the Balearics, they may stay."
She is of the opinion that the tourism industry is not yet fully aware of the challenges of the climate crisis, such as the fact that resort front lines will have to be adapted to changes brought about by a rise in sea level.
Ranera also points to the impact of an increase in the cost of air travel because of a progressive end of cheap fossil resources. "In France they have already prohibited short flights." In the case of the Balearics, where air travel is essential, there will be an impact on the arrival of tourists.
Ernest Cañada of the University of the Balearic Islands also highlights fossil fuel. "With the end of cheap tourism due to the fossil fuel crisis, we will see an attempt to attract tourists with high purchasing power. But there aren't enough rich people for all destinations. It's risky because the market is smaller. We should diversify the economy and decrease."
He adds that 30% of Europe's population cannot have a week's holiday; this will only increase. "We must rethink tourism in terms of proximity, through public transport and interest for the majority of the population." A model of "hypermobility" is, he believes, destined to fail.