One-in-five tourists who came on holiday to Mallorca last year "disappeared," according to the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation who stated that no-one knows where they stayed. Hoteliers suspect that they either stayed with friends and family or in illegal holiday homes and apartments.
A spokesperson said: "this continues to be a major problem. We must crackdown on illegal holiday accomodation." He added that it was costing the island many millions of euros. The "missing tourists" obviously do not pay the tourist tax. The hoteliers, who are attending the all important Fitur tourism fair in Madrid, said that bookings to the island for 2026 were looking good and a large number of hotels would be opening earlier than usual."
"By next month 40 percent of hotels will be open for business, rising to 70 percent in March and 93 percent in April. Bookings in our key markets are looking good although there is some concern about the impact of the World Cup," he said.
"The British travel industry has said that their clients had given priority to their holidays despìte the financial problems the country is undergoing," he said.
The hoteliers said that tourists spent a record amont of money while on holiday in Mallorca last year, rising by about three percent on the same period in 2024.
The biggest complaint that they had received from tourists was about Palma airport and public transport. Palma airport was hit by a whole series of problems last year, mostly related to the ongoing building work.