In May, the Balearic Islands consolidated their position as one of Spain’s leading tourist destinations, registering significant growth in both demand and hotel activity. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) published on Tuesday, hotel room nights in the islands increased by 5.4 percent compared to the same month in 2023, reaching 8.4 million stays. With this result, the archipelago has recorded three consecutive months of growth.
The increase in overnight stays was accompanied by an equally positive trend in tourist arrivals. During the month of May, nearly 1.8 million tourists stayed in hotels in the Balearic Islands, 7.01 percent more than in the same month of the previous year. Of these, 201,960 were Spanish residents, representing 11.06% of the total, while 1.6 million were international tourists, representing 88.94% of the travelers who stayed in hotels.
Growth was widespread in both markets, although it was more pronounced among domestic tourists. The number of travelers residing in Spain increased by 10.9% year-over-year, while foreign visitors recorded a 6.5% increase. This trend confirms the strengthening of domestic demand, although international tourism remains the main driver of tourism activity in the Balearic Islands.
The breakdown of overnight stays reflects this same pattern. Of the total recorded in May, 667,873 were by Spanish residents (7.88 percent), while nearly 7.8 million were by foreign tourists, who accounted for 92.12 percent of hotel stays. These figures highlight the high degree of internationalization of the tourism sector in the Balearic Islands and its strong dependence on European source markets.
Strong demand was also reflected in hotel profitability indicators. The average daily rate per room (ADR) reached €128.33, 6.7% higher than the previous year, while hotel prices saw an 8.89% year-over-year increase. This trend demonstrates the sector’s ability to maintain a growth strategy based not only on the number of visitors, but also on improving the average revenue per room.
Regarding employment, the Balearic Islands once again ranked as the leading autonomous community in Spain, with a rate of 73.46 percent, ahead of the Canary Islands (64.98 percent) and the Valencian Community (63.99 percent). Additionally, the hotel sector in the Balearic Islands employed 69,494 people during the month of May, which represents a 2.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year and confirms the importance of tourism as a source of employment on the islands.
The importance of the Balearic Islands within the national tourism sector is also reflected in the volume of activity generated. The archipelago accounted for 23.35 percent of all hotel overnight stays recorded in Spain during the month of May, making it the autonomous community with the largest share of the national market, ahead of Catalonia (17 percent) and Andalusia (15.92 percent).
Looking beyond the short-term figures, the trends observed during the first months of 2025 reinforce certain patterns that have been consolidating in the Balearic Islands in recent years. First, there has been a gradual extension of the tourist season, with significant growth in the months leading up to summer and less concentration of activity in the peak months of July and August. This trend helps improve the utilization of tourist infrastructure and promotes a more balanced distribution of demand throughout the year.
Secondly, indicators show that the sector’s growth continues to be driven by a combination of an increase in the number of visitors and improved profitability. The increase in hotel rates and prices, which has outpaced the growth in overnight stays, suggests that establishments maintain a strong ability to pass on the cost of continued strong demand, especially in the international segment.
