In the scorching heat, a long line of rental cars stretching for kilometers struggles up the winding road. On this late summer morning, an army of vacationers heads for Valldemossa. The picturesque mountain village is one of the most popular destinations on the Mediterranean island of and, as in years past, traffic jams on the narrow mountain road are once again a daily occurrence. The chaos isn’t just a problem for the holidaymakers themselves: a bus is also stuck, carrying mainly commuters on their way to work. “This is unbearable,” grumbles one of them, with a glance at the seemingly endless stop-and-go traffic.
19 million vacationers in the Balearic Islands
just as in other parts of Spain, and often erupts in protests, the islands are heading for a new visitor record this year. By late July almost 11 million people had spent their holidays in the archipelago, a slight increase relative to the same period last year. For the whole of 2024, the figure was 18.7 million. In 2025, that number is set to rise to more than 19 million – or about one in five of all international visitors to Spain.
Although the figures may appear promising on the surface, Mallorca’s industry feels it has little to celebrate. Restaurateurs, retailers, and operators of tourist attractions all say their sales figures are significantly down. Ironically, they’re most worried about German tourists. Their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent summer months compared to last year, by more than eight percent in July alone. Traditionally, Germans make up by far the largest group of holidaymakers in Mallorca. That’s why many people are sounding the alarm.
Pedro Oliver, chairman of the Tourist Guides Association on the island, is convinced that are partly to blame. “I’ve no doubt they’ve had an effect: the message has been received,” says Oliver. He and his colleagues have noticed that something has changed. “Tourists are constantly asking whether it’s true that Mallorca no longer wants vacationers,” he adds. Rafel Roig, chairman of the Balearic Transport Federation, takes a similar view. “It’s obvious: if I hear I’m not wanted in a place, then I’m not going to go there.”
Rising summer temperatures could be a factor
Álvaro Blanco from the Spanish Tourist Office in Berlin doubts that German vacationers are being deterred by His office has received just two emails from concerned German citizens on the matter in recent months. “I don’t think the protests are having any impact,” says Blanco. Ongoing economic challenges in Germany could be a more decisive factor, he suggests. He also suspects that some travelers may simply be staying away from southern Europe because of rising temperatures in the summer months.
Carlos Cendra from Mabrian, a consulting firm specializing in tourism, agrees, although he believes that anti-tourism rallies could have an impact in the long term. “We must try to make sure that the idea that travelers are not welcome in the Balearic Islands does not take hold,” he says. As for why Germans might be staying away, Cendra primarily attributes this to economic factors, pointing in particular to the recent sharp rise in prices.
Hotel prices strain holiday budgets
For years now, Mallorca’s tourism industry has been striving to improve quality. This is most evident from the more luxurious accommodation on offer nowadays: over the past 20 years, the number of four- and five-star hotels has tripled, as one- to three-star hotels disappear from the market. And this means an increase in prices. When it comes to marketing, the Balearic government has also been casting the net wider, stepping up advertising in the US, for example. This year, an unusually large number of French, Italian, and Scandinavian tourists visited the island, more than compensating for the decline in German tourists.
But despite everything, the island looks to be heading for another record. Although the regional government says the archipelago is at capacity, the administration has so far shied away from implementing any measures to limit tourism. After much back and forth, the government still could not bring itself to raise the introduce a special levy on rental cars, or impose Dependence on tourism is too great, as is the concern that demand could actually decline.
Protests set to continue
For Jaume Pujol, nothing has really changed on “This summer was no different from the previous ones,” says the spokesperson for the platform “Menys turisme mes vida” (Less Tourism, More Life). The group has organized several large demonstrations against the excesses of mass tourism. “The streets were crowded again this year, and the healthcare system was overloaded. The logic of growth remains unchanged,” says Pujol, adding that more demonstrations are on the horizon, including a major rally next year. “The issue remains relevant,” he says.
This article was originally written in German.
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