Related news: Mallorca tourism: So many tourists but not spending as much

Plenty of tourists in Mallorca and the Balearics, but plenty of tourists not spending as much they have previously . That's the message from various elements of the complementary sector - bars, restaurants, shops, nightlife and so on.

The tourist statistics suggest otherwise. Up to the end of June, 7.7 million tourists came to the Balearics, an increase of 8.1%. Over the six months they spent 8,246 million euros, an increase of 13.6%. But there is one thing to be said about this, and it concerns how the spending statistics are arrived at.

The National Statistics Institute's Egatur survey is the source for spending. Egatur has certain categories, one of which is either the cost of a package holiday or the cost of independently booked accommodation plus travel. Prices for these have risen. When it comes to spending in destination , Egatur doesn't, for example, specify how much is spent in bars/restaurants. There is a broader category that includes this and other items of expenditure.

The statistics, therefore, don't provide a satisfactory guide to what is being spent and where. Individual sectors don't present statistical data, so there is a reliance on statements made by representatives. And the messages from the complementary sector as a whole point to lower spending .

This is lower compared with 2022 and 2023. There is general agreement that both those seasons were characterised by a post-pandemic spending boom . Does lower spending in 2024 therefore represent an adjustment - back to where it used to be?

Rafael Durán is the president of the Abactur tourist attractions association: "The objective data tell us that there are more tourists, but it is clear that spending has dropped quite a bit." But he goes on to add: "We have to take into account that we are coming from 2023, the best season we have ever had."

Miguel Pérez Marsà, president of the Abone nightlife association, says the balance isn't bad but is not what was expected either. He calculates a fall in turnover of between 15% and 20% compared to last year. "People are arriving with less money and hotels have become more expensive."

Some weeks ago, the president of the CAEB Restaurants Association, Alfonso Robledo, referred to a 20% drop in revenue in June. He attributed this to the fact that there was less trade during the week; at the weekends, restaurants were as busy as ever.

Pedro Miró of the Afedeco retailers association says things "could be better", though he remains optimistic that revenue will ultimately be close to that of 2023, a year in which there was "an explosion of consumption".

Car hire, nautical business, diving businesses; these all report a similar lower level of spending. Euro 2024 and the Olympics are said to be among the reasons.

The figures quoted above clearly don't take the high summer into account. The next Egatur report and the next Frontur report for tourist numbers will be for July; these won't be released until the start of September. They will both be up, but Egatur still won't report with accuracy how money is being spent.

Robledo has been looking forward to September and October . The reason lies with the tourist profile. This can be over-generalised, but August is a month, in some resorts in any event, when business isn't as good as might be expected despite the sheer number of holidaymakers. A family tourism on a budget goes some way to explaining this, as also does all-inclusive, although all-inclusive has been a factor since the 1990s, but admittedly not on the scale of today.

It should also be taken into account that the resorts aren't the whole of Mallorca. A booming tourism away from the resorts is characterised by a profile of higher spending. A restaurant in the interior might be doing very nicely thank you, whereas a restaurant in a resort is doing less well.

Ultimately, much of this depends on location, on profile, on product (oh, and throw in price as well). In the resorts there will be those businesses doing a roaring trade while others are not. 2022 and 2023 were boom seasons. Is 2024 a return to the norm?

Balearics tourism increased six per cent in June

Mallorca restaurants' turnover fell 20% in June

So many tourists in Mallorca, but why aren't they spending more?

Balearics tourism increased six per cent in June

Mallorca restaurants' turnover fell 20% in June