PALMA – It’s official: the Balearic Islands are more popular than ever! For the first time in history, the islands passed the magical mark of three million tourists in one month in July.
And the numbers do not lie, expenses are also skyrocketing. The National Statistical Service (INE) put all doubts aside on Friday with new figures. In July, the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) welcomed no fewer than 3,005,336 visitors. Of these 3 million, 2.44 million came from abroad. That is an increase of 7.2% compared to 2022.
British and Germans keep coming
What were the main foreign markets in July? The British topped the list with 26.2%. This was closely followed by the Germans with 25.1%. In fact, the islands attracted 24.1% of all foreign tourists who travelled to Spain in July.
Record year in sight for Balearic Islands
If this trend continues, 2023 could be a record year for the Balearic Islands. The total number of tourists – both Spanish and foreign – peaked at 10.13 million in the first seven months. That is more than last year and more than in the pre-pandemic years 2018 and 2019.
Expenses skyrocket
Tourist expenditure is also rising sharply. Foreign visitors spent 16.7% more in July than last year, amounting to €3.281 billion. For the first seven months of this year, total expenditure amounted to almost €11 billion. That is more than €1.8 billion more than in the pre-pandemic year 2019.
Also read: Mallorca and Ibiza are the most expensive travel destinations in Spain
