Summer 2025 in Mallorca was the third hottest since current records began in 1961. Surpassed only by the summers of 2003 and 2022, the hottest day was August 16, when the average was 36.5C, 6.5 degrees above normal, and the highest temperature of the summer was registered at the university in Palma and in Es Capdellà (Calvia) - 41.5C. June 2025 was the hottest on record.
Summers in Mallorca have obviously always been hot, but whereas heatwaves and 40-plus temperatures were once the exception, they are now the rule; in the 1990s, for instance, there was only one heatwave.
Tour operators from the island's two main tourism markets - Germany and the UK - are aware of the impact on holidaymakers' decisions. The DRV German travel association believes that 2025 has marked a turning point because of a "loss of comfort". Higher temperatures and higher prices are combining to make German holidaymakers think twice about travelling to Mallorca. The association says: "If they are going to have to pay 30% more, they don't want to die of heatstroke."
In the UK, ABTA has referred to the "tropicalisation" of the Mediterranean and to a growing trend of seeking cooler destinations in the summer. Jet2Holidays and TUI UK are said to be reconsidering their peak season plans due to extreme heat alerts in Mallorca. TUI Germany reports that complaints about a lack of climate comfort have increased by 15%; difficulties with sleeping are among them.
DRV feels that the heat is becoming a decisive factor in a context of sustained price increases. "Mallorca is losing its budget-conscious family clientele." There is a switch to, for example, the Bavarian lakes and the Baltic Sea in August. The German tour operator Alltours has begun promoting the Polish coast for the summer.
Another German tour operator, DER Touristik, warns that unless investment is made in adequate air-conditioning systems, the German market will gradually shift to the lower season. The company says it will drop hotels that do not meet requirements. Customer complaints are now significant enough that such warnings are not being issued in vain.
The Balearic Government's director-general of tourism, Miquel Rosselló, argues that such investment will not be a problem. "The entire hotel sector has made a significant effort in renovations in recent years to balance prices and service quality." He believes that the impact of heatwaves is, for the moment, limited. "They may have an effect, but we still have a product to prevent a significant impact."
Rosselló in any event believes the Balearics have reached the peak in terms of the high season. Any potential slowdown in summer bookings is due more to this peak having been reached than to climate change. "In truth, we don't have much more room to grow in volume."