Balearic Islands: The well-being of locals in the balance sheet of tourism performance

• The sustainability, competitiveness, and well-being of locals in the Balearic Islands will be included in the balance sheet of the tourism performance of the islands. That is, they will be considered with the same weight in the report of each tourist year, along with arrivals and turnover.

This was emphasized by the President of the Balearic Islands Government, Marga Prohens, during a press conference at the ITB in Berlin, together with the Minister of Tourism of the local government, Jaume Bauza.

“The Balearic Islands are the first destination to decisively face the challenge that all successful destinations face: to combine their success with the sustainability and well-being of our residents and, of course, our visitors,” said Marga Prohens.

Better distribution of tourist flows throughout the year

The strategy of the Balearic Islands from now on will, therefore, be to no longer measure the success of tourism solely on the basis of the number of visitors and turnover. Sustainability, competitiveness, and the well-being of the islanders will play a greater role in the balance sheet.

Part of the strategy is to shift tourism towards the off-peak season.

The regional government has already announced initial successes in this regard. Overall, the Balearic Islands had 6% more tourists in 2024 from all origin markets compared to the previous year. Only 1% of the increased arrivals occurred during the high season, with the remaining 5% occurring during the low season, said Ms Prohens.

Tourism Minister Jaume Bauza stressed at the press conference that more than five million German tourists visited the Balearic Islands in 2024, 9% more than the previous year. As he said, spending has also increased, which is why German tourists are "one of the most important foundations for the economic and social development of the islands".

Wider offer, higher added value

In addition, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera want to position themselves more strongly as destinations for cultural, sports, and gastronomic tourists in the future. Traditional family tourism remains important, said the Tourism Minister. However, a broader portfolio of visitors and a greater offer will contribute to an increase in spending per capita, according to the plan.

This "value increase" is intended to benefit the population, freeing up more resources to combat illegal accommodation and tourist offers. Ten million euros from the tourist tax revenue were recently paid for this purpose.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report