Majorca sees tourists from 1 country abandon island but Brits stop crisis for local hotels

A Majorcan hotel owner has shared his thoughts on the state of the 2025 summer tourist season (Image: Getty)

Tourists and business owners across Majorca spent the summer watching with trepidation as the island navigated one of its most uncertain seasons in years. Amid tensions over mass tourism, rising prices and mounting pressure on local infrastructure, many worried about how the Balearic hotspot would balance its economic dependence on visitors with growing demands for sustainability.

Over the last few months, there have been growing reports that Majorca has been facing an exodus of German and British tourists, as soaring prices have prompted many to seek cheaper alternatives, such as Greece and Turkey. Reports suggested that rising rents, expensive groceries and inflated restaurant bills had made life on the once budget-friendly island increasingly unsustainable. Now, the Express has spoken to Alejandro Bautista Gómez, the general manager of Kimpton Aysla Mallorca, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, about how their summer tourist season has fared.

Alejandro Bautista Gómez, from Kimpton Aysla Mallorca spoke to The Express about 2025's summer season (Image: supplied)

"What we are hearing from our competitors is that the market, compared to previous years after COVID-19, has slowed down," Mr Gómez told The Express. "Overall, the growth that was expected for this season has been slightly slower within the market on the island."

In terms of visitors coming to Majorca, however, via different transport methods including through Palma de Mallorca Airport, via cruise ships or ferries, "what we hear is [is that] it has been a record year", Mr Gómez, who boasts 25 years of experience in the business, added.

Indeed, according to tourism statistics released at the start of October for the month of August, Majorca received just over two million tourists in August, of a total of nearly 3.1 million for the Balearic archipelago as a whole, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. Also recorded, however, was a drop in the number of German tourists to the island - a year-on-year decrease of 4% to just over 580,000 holidaymakers.

August 2025 saw a 4% drop in the number of German tourist in Majorca (Image: Getty)

This was also a drop recognised by Mr Gómez: "We don't have official data on passengers, but it is true that there is a common ground in [Majorca] and in the Balearic Islands, that the German market has slowed down compared to previous years. This could be a consequence of a couple of situations, mainly, I would say, there was some government instability and then there are some geopolitical circumstances."

Last month, it was reported that the fall in German holidaymakers visiting the popular destination, a downward trend that began in May, is not a result of the protests and anti-tourism campaigns as many might believe, but rather the state of the German economy. Due to a decline in German GDP, rising unemployment levels, and increased prices for products and services nationwide, holidaymakers appear to be seeking more affordable alternatives, following the price increases in Majorca.

Returning to Majorca's August tourism statistics, the UK foreign market registered a small increase of 0.7%, to over 373,000. This was a trend that Mr Gómez also agreed with, based on Kimpton Aysla Mallorca's own data: "We grew [in this market], we're very happy," he said. "When you speak to colleagues some people grew, some people didn't. So I think overall, it's maintaining."

Mr Gómez has a positive outlook for the future of tourism in Majorca (Image: Getty)

Mr Gómez has a positive outlook for the future of tourism, particularly luxury tourism in Majorca: "We are a five-star luxury hotel. In luxury, growth has been very slight. Overall, in the market, we continue to grow".

"I think Mediterranean, Southern European countries, Europe in general, will remain a very strong tourism destination [...] I'm not saying there are not going to be emerging destinations in other places. There are many strong destinations, but I think tourism will continue in a healthy environment.

"I think that Majorca remains, or the Balearic Islands remain, a very strong holiday option when you look into climate conditions, [and the] offering [of] restaurants and hotels."

As for German tourists, the hotel owner also has high hopes that they will return: "I think it will normalise," he said.