The tourist season in Mallorca has been somewhat uneven as far as the restaurant industry is concerned. Consumer spending varies significantly depending on the area and the day of the week, as well as the type of establishment and its target audience. The segment most closely associated with luxury is the one that, for now, is doing the best. At least, that is how the restaurant industry sees it.
“The luxury sector is booming,” says Juanmi Ferrer, president of Restauración Mallorca-CAEB, explaining that “the influx of chauffeurs, boats, and high-end hotels” is having a significant impact, as is the level of activity at restaurants catering to this clientele. “It’s going like a rocket.”
In fact, luxury tourism has been on the rise in recent years. A report commissioned by the business association Essentially Mallorca and prepared by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) indicates that this segment of visitors spent 2.3 billion euros in the archipelago on card payments in 2025. The study, presented last May, states that the average daily spending in this category is 731 euros, nearly 16 times that of the average tourist. Although these customers account for less than 8% of those arriving annually in the Balearic Islands, they account for 27% of total spending (based on card spending).
At the same time, trends in other areas of demand remain consistent with the previous two years, at least in terms of spending on ancillary services. Ferrer notes that the uneven distribution of spending isn’t really that different from what we’ve been seeing since 2024: a tighter budget for everything other than the two unavoidable expenses, transportation and lodging. “The season is proving to be uneven, even more so than last year. The differences between weekdays and weekends are very noticeable.”
The president of the restaurant association confirms that visitor numbers, which are already very high at this time of year (nearly 2.7 million arrivals are expected this June), are not translating into a massive influx of customers at businesses in the sector. “You see quite a few people, but that isn’t really translating into spending. The average check is suffering, and that means we’re continuing the trend from 2025.” Although the segment of the market most closely tied to luxury tourism is thriving, he insists, “the more mainstream segment—which accounts for 85% of the market—isn’t doing so well.”
