The cracks are starting to appear in the so-called record holiday season. While it will go down in local history as a year in which the island welcomed a record number of tourists, there are already complaints about their limited spending power.
Majorca wants the best of both worlds - record visitor numbers with a record spend - but this does not appear to be the case this year. The drop in the value of sterling against the euro dented the spending power of British holidaymakers, but there is concern about the spending power of other nationalities. I suspect that this winter we will hear the “wise words” from local politicians that we need fewer tourists who spend more.
This summer there has been a slight backlash against tourism and for once the Balearic government is talking about an “overcrowded island”. It must be remembered that this summer has been rather unusual. We have welcomed thousands of additional tourists as a result of the security concerns in north Africa and in the eastern Mediterranean. So this could help to explain some of the overcrowding this summer. But if tourists are not spending, then the island has big problems. Local businesses need the summer cash for the winter period.
Before we start talking about a record period and a record season we must take everything into account. A record number of tourists is fantastic news but a record spend would be even better news.