The spokesperson for the Balearic government, Antoni Costa, today, Friday, said he hoped that there would be zero growth in the number of tourists during the upcoming high season, especially in terms of overnight stays, although the number of visitors may continue to grow over the year as a whole.
At the press conference following Friday’s cabinet meeting, Costa expressed his satisfaction that forecasts indicate that 70 per cent of hotels will be open by mid-March, confirming the goal of seasonality reduction that has been pursued for more than 30 years.
‘This Government wants to do everything in its power to avoid the overcrowding and congestion that occurs in the high season, and we believe we are moving in the right direction,’ he said. He reiterated that the regional government welcomes with ‘deep satisfaction’ the fact that the season is getting longer, as confirmed by the figures, and regretted that some sectors consider this to be bad news.
As for the forecasts for the coming high season, pending next week’s ITB tourism fair in Berlin, where these forecasts may be refined, the spokesperson stressed that the indications point to figures similar to last year’s. ‘At best, in the high season, we will break even,’ he said, in terms of human pressure and impact levels. The regional government’s desire, he reiterated, is for zero growth during the main months of the season, which, he pointed out, is not contradictory to the fact that the number of arrivals increases in the mid and low seasons.
That said, the Balearics ended 2025 with record tourist spending, driven by foreign tourists, according to the February document “El Momento Económico de Baleares” (The Economic Situation of the Balearic Islands), prepared by the Directorate-General for Economy and Statistics.
Total tourist spending reached 23.406 billion, a 4.7% year-on-year increase, with spending per person at 1,228 euros (+2.9%) and spending per person per day at 198 euros (+5.7%), according to a press release from the Regional Ministry. However, tourist arrivals slowed (+1.7%), which can be explained by the slight increase in international visitors (+2.6% to 15.7 million) and the fall in domestic tourists (-2.3% to 3.3 million).
In fact, they highlighted that the performance of the domestic market varied greatly depending on the island, with high growth in Menorca (+4.5%) contrasting with a sharp decline in the Pitiusas, Ibiza and Formentera, (-10.3%) and a slight decrease in Mallorca (-0.6%). On the other hand, “El Momento Económico” points out that, according to the official review by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Balearic Islands’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2024 increased by 4.2%, exceeding the Spanish average for four consecutive years. In fact, in Spain, the annual variation in GDP stood at +3.5%.
The variables that explain the service sector in 2025 were very positive. On the one hand, turnover maintained a steady pace that placed the archipelago at the top of the regional ranking. All activities drove growth, especially professional services and hospitality. Thus, the average variation in the Islands was +6.9%, while in Spain it was +4.8%.
In December, the year-on-year growth in transport (15.3%) stands out, in contrast to the stagnation in hospitality (1.0%). Likewise, air traffic achieved a new record with 23.6 million passengers, an increase of 1.3% year-on-year, while maritime traffic fell by 1.1%. On the other hand, in 2025, the islands exceeded 4,800 approved homes for the first time since 2008, with a year-on-year variation of +29.1%.
In terms of industrial production, two years of declines were reversed and by 2025 it was growing above the Spanish average. Durable consumer goods, equipment and energy contribute the most to production growth, with an average variation of 4.0%, while the total for the country is +1.3%.
Likewise, social security enrolment maintains sustained growth, with a year-on-year variation of +2.5% in January 2026. During the first month of the year, the general regime and the self-employed showed a similar year-on-year variation, with +2.5% for the former and +2.3% for the latter.