Tourist spending in the Balearic Islands grows three times faster than visitor arrivals, although this figure is not distributed evenly across the sector. Spending on package tours, accommodation, and transportation accounts for 70 percent of the total, according to July data from the Balearic Islands Statistical Institute (Ibestat). The tourist activities segment accounts for 10 percent of total spending, placing it exactly between food and drink and shopping.
These figures are corroborated by the Balearic Association of Tourist Attractions (ABACTUR), which has observed a clear reduction in visitor spending. This trend is attributed to tighter budgets – mainly due to the rising cost of transportation and accommodation – and to the heat waves experienced throughout the summer. “We finished the first half of the year with good results, but July has reminded us that the model is changing: visitors are arriving with less purchasing power and the heat has affected activity. We are confident we will see positive figures again in September and October,” says Rafael Durán, president of ABACTUR.
A survey of its member companies reveals that July saw a decrease in activity attributable to the aforementioned factors. Thus, 80 percent of the surveyed companies rated the first half of the year as “good,” although the start of the season, from May to June, was better than July and August. In fact, up to 60 percent of members indicated that the start of the season was better than last year’s.
The drop in activity that began in July will weigh on the season’s results. However, August saw a slight improvement, which gives reason for some optimism. “The association expects this upward trend to solidify in September and October, months in which the sector is confident of returning to positive figures.” The performance of the Imserso season will depend, in large part, on this upward trend: the first travelers will arrive in October and will represent a key group of customers to boost sales for much of the sector as the mid-season transitions into the off-season.
The Board of Directors meeting held this Wednesday – which also served to finalize preparations for the association’s 25th anniversary celebrations – took stock of an uneven season in which business owners have also complained about rising operating costs, especially regarding fuel prices. Other negative factors, such as staff shortages, have forced 40 percent of businesses to raise their prices compared to last year.
Exchange of accusations in Parliament
For now, ABACTUR representatives plan to meet with the President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Margalida Prohens, to convey firsthand the problems facing the sector, at a time when the growth in tourist spending is one of the arguments the regional government is using in response to criticism about overcrowding. Earlier this Wednesday, Prohens herself defended herself in Parliament against accusations from the PSIB and Més for not taking into account the growth in tourist arrivals.
In statements collected by Europa Press, the president responded that a “change in trend” is evident in tourism in the Balearic Islands and that the increase in the number of tourists is concentrated in the “mid and low seasons,” while a pattern of “moderation” seems to have gained strength during the high season, which “contributes to the reduction of seasonality.” He noted that all this is happening alongside an increase in per-tourist spending, which would confirm the regional government’s goal of “growing in value rather than volume.” Still, he acknowledged that “there is still a long way to go.”
The Socialist deputy, for his part, has criticized the fact that a group of “incompetents” responded “with batons” to the demonstrations against mass tourism and has condemned Aena’s decision to “completely cram” the islands. Therefore, he asked Prohens to “listen to the citizens,” who are demanding “a reduction in tourism, not just its containment.” Socialist deputy Yago Negueruela pointed out that the president “does not listen” to the citizens’ protests “against her policies.”
For his part, the regional minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzá, has expressed his “full respect” for the protests against mass tourism, while maintaining that the regional government’s tourism policy “is beginning to yield results.” The government representative responded in this way to questions from United We Can (UP) deputy José María García and PSIB deputy Llorenç Pou about the actions the government has taken in response to the demonstrations against tourist overcrowding that have taken place in the Balearic Islands. He highlighted that tourist spending “is growing faster” than the number of visitors and, therefore, called for the data to be looked at before building a “demagogic narrative.”
García has argued that the regional government’s strategy to reduce seasonality “is not working,” as it has caused growth both in the summer and during the rest of the year. In addition, he pointed out that the minister’s vision “does not align” with that of the people who took to the streets this summer. Finally, Pou accused the minister of living in “an alternative world” and of “not listening to society.”
