Germany was the top source of visitors from overseas to Majorca in 2023.

19:23, Wed, Jun 4, 2025 | UPDATED: 19:23, Wed, Jun 4, 2025

Cala Santany, Santanyi, Majorca (Mallorca), Balearic Islands, Spain

The stunning Balearic island is beloved by British and German holidaymakers. (Image: Getty)

Hospitality bosses in Majorca have sounded the alarm over a slowdown in bookings by German holidaymakers, amid a string of recent overtourism protests. The Spanish Balearic Island is beloved by British sunseekers, but reportedly sees even more German visitors.

Germany was the top source of visitors from overseas to Majorca in 2023, with 4.23 million visits and more than 39% of market share, according to Road Genius, citing official statistics. But the Alcudia and Can Picafort hoteliers association said in a communique on Tuesday said that bookings had seen a marginal decrease on last year, particularly from Germany.

As well as tourists from the likes of Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt appearing to abandon the country for alternative destinations, the hoteliers said takings in bars and restaurants had also fallen between 15 and 20% compared to last year, the  Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.

Pablo Riera-Marsa, the association's president, was quoted by the Spanish newspaper as saying that they are "seeing how the German market, traditionally our Number 1 market, is the one that has slowed down the most".

The business leader also said that this season "last-minute bookings are once again becoming more popular, with tourists waiting for special offers and promotions before making their purchase decisions", and expressed concern about the numbers bars and restaurants are seeing.

But he warned that businesses "must not fall into a competition based solely on price" saying it was neccessary to "continue to focus on quality, sustainability and differentiation, especially in a context in which the market is once again stabilising and last-minute bookings are becoming increasingly important”.

It comes as a survey carried out by the National Statistics Institute revealed that an over 13.5% increase in foreign tourism in the Balearics in April - up to 1,357,216.

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All of the island's main markets saw an uptick except for the UK and Belgium. And while the drop in UK tourism was just under 3% across Spain, in Majorca it fell by 6%.

While it's not definitively clear why British tourism isn't seeing similar increases, the figures come as the islands and other parts of Spain wrestle with anti-tourism protests, with demonstrators voicing their fury over what they see as the impact of the sector on rising living costs, particularly the price of housing.

Representatives of 60 groups have announced a new demonstration in the island's capital Palma set to take place on Sunday, June 15.

Authorities in Majorca have launched a wide range of measures in response to the public anger, including raising the tourist tax and imposing new levies on hire cars.

Other affected cities have also taken action. For example, Barcelona also announced plans last year to phase out the 10,000 apartments licensed for short-term rentals by 2028, to provide more housing for permanent residents.

The Spanish government has also vowed to tackle the housing crisis in the country, and has proposed curbs like a 100% tax on property purchases by non-EU residents.