Susanna Sciacovelli, Director of Tourism Demand & Hospitality with the Bulletin at the Balearic stand at Fitur in Madrid this morning.
Mallorca heads to the Madrid tourism fair

Susanna Sciacovelli, Director of Tourism Demand & Hospitality with the Bulletin at the Balearic stand at Fitur in Madrid this morning. | J. Moore

Jason MooreMadrid22/01/2025 09:50
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We will have some indication this week how the holiday season in 2025 will be for Spain and the Balearics as the all important Fitur tourism fair gets underway in Madrid. The British travel industry are well represented including the Chief Executive of British holiday giant, Jet2, Steve Heapy. The big question which everyone wants answering is whether the anti tourism protests in the Balearics last summer and elsewhere across Spain have had any impact on holiday sales.

The Chief Executive of British holiday giant, Jet2, Steve Heapy. is going to be in Madrid.

The Balearic President, Marga Prohens, who is leading the Balearic delegation, remains upbeat saying that the biggest problem the islands face is too much tourism. These days it is a question of less rather than more. However, despite the rhetoric there is cause for concern for the Balearics although no one will admit it officially. Both British and mainland Spain tourism fell to the islands during the peak summer months and it was only thanks to yet another spectacular increase in the German market that the islands ended the season in positive territory.

A further drop in these two markets this year would get the alarm bells ringing despite the call for fewer tourists. Fitur is the flagship fair for the Spanish tourist industry and its importance is clearly underlined by the fact that it will be opened by King Felipe later this morning. Spain enjoyed one of its best holiday seasons on record last year and the industry will be looking for a repeat performance this year.

The Balearics will be closely watching their Spanish competitors, Catalonia, the Costa del Sol and the Canary Islands. Also in the spotlight will be plans by the Balearic government to increase the rate of the controversial tourist tax. The move has been slammed by hoteliers who claim that it could give competing regions in Spain an edge.

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Mallorca heads to the Madrid tourism fair

The 45th Fitur tourism fair starts in Madrid on Wednesday. Where the Balearics are concerned, it is one of the three most important fairs along with Berlin and London; the Spanish tourism market is the third largest in the Balearics. For Spain as a whole, as with the Balearics specifically, the latest Fitur is being held against a background of record tourist numbers and record tourist spending. When the final figures are presented for 2024 in early February, it is anticipated that Spain will have attracted 94 million tourists, an increase of ten per cent. The expectation for the Balearics is more modest, a rise of five per cent to around 18.7 million.