American tourism in the Balearics grew by almost 20% in 2025. A total of 333,561 visitors moved the US up to ninth position in the list of tourism markets, overtaking Belgium. At an individual country level, this position would probably be higher were it not for the fact that the Nordic countries - Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland - are treated as one market.
The growth was uneven across the islands. In Mallorca, where US tourism fell by around seven per cent in 2024, there was a recovery - up nearly nine per cent and with 211,453 visitors. Menorca registered a slump, but Ibiza was where the growth truly lay, an increase of over 50% to 115,672 visitors.
The US was one of the fastest-growing markets in 2025, this attributed in part to the increased capacity offered by United Airlines on its New York-Palma route. The airline was operating larger planes and increased the frequency of the service from three to four flights a week in 2025. This frequency will continue in 2026, as will the period for the service from May to October.
Spain's tourism institute, Turespaña, has highlighted the appeal of the Balearics to the US market. While the United Airlines route is important, Turespaña points out that it does only represent a relatively small percentage of total US arrivals. The islands have had a good deal of publicity in the US from various sources, while the Fodor's No List 2025 didn't seem to have any real negative impact. The influential travel guide had drawn attention to overtourism in Mallorca.
More than Fodor's, there was talk of US travellers being deterred because of concerns about negative attitudes towards them. Again, the figures suggest otherwise, the Trump effect being far more obvious when it comes to travel to the US. Pedro Fiol, president of the Aviba travel agencies association in the Balearics, says: "We've been noticing it for months now; demand has plummeted. People no longer want to travel there."