In September, nearly 179,000 employees in the Balearic Islands were employed in the tourism sector—including the hospitality industry, travel agencies, and tour operators—representing a 4% increase compared to the same month in 2025. These are some of the figures published in the latest Turespaña report on tourism employment in September, which showed that there were nearly 165,000 salaried workers (up 4.2%) and just over 14,000 self-employed workers (up 1.4%).
This proportion makes the Balearic Islands the region with the fewest self-employed workers in these sectors, as only 8% of these employees were self-employed. The next lowest percentages of self-employed workers in the tourism sector are found in the Canary Islands, at 10.3%, and the Community of Madrid, at 11.9%.
Across Spain as a whole, the number of workers employed in the tourism sector increased by 136,415 in September—a 4.7% rise—bringing the total to just over three million workers. In relation to the country’s overall labor market, which grew by 3.4% year-over-year in September, tourism employment accounts for 13.7% of the total number of insured workers. The number of insured workers increased in the hospitality sector, where there was a rise of 88,413 workers (23,922 in lodging services and 64,491 in food and beverage services).
The number of wage earners increased by 5.2%
Meanwhile, the trend in travel agencies was negative, with a decrease of 1,351 workers. Turespaña clarifies that this figure does not reflect an actual decline in employment, as it is influenced by changes to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), which have reclassified certain activities—previously included under the “travel agencies” category—into other categories.
In September, the number of salaried workers in the tourism sector—which accounts for 83.2% of all registered workers—increased by 5.2% compared to the same month of the previous year. By industry, salaried employment declined in travel agencies and tour operators (1.2%) and increased in the hospitality sector (5.2%), in both lodging and food and beverage services.
Meanwhile, self-employment in tourism—which accounts for 16.8% of all registered workers—increased by 1.9%. In the hospitality sector, it rose by 1.3%, driven mainly by a 16.9% increase in lodging services. Travel agencies saw a 3.5% year-over-year decline in the number of self-employed workers, a drop also influenced by changes in the classification of economic activities.
In September, employment in the hospitality sector, travel agencies, and tour operators increased in all autonomous communities.
In absolute terms, the largest increase was recorded in Catalonia, with 16,475 more members. In relative terms, the highest growth was in the Valencian Community, at 6%, followed by Castile-La Mancha, at 5.5%, and Catalonia, at 5.2%.
