"The Government's model is not in the figures": the Executive's response to the increase in tourists in 2026

PalmaThe Vice President of the Government, Antònia Maria Estarellas, referred this Monday to the 7% increase in tourist arrivals in the Balearic Islands until April and recalled that the Executive "does not speak of a decrease, but of containment" and that its model "is not in the numbers", but in how they want there to be an increase in tourism. "The Government's model is not in the numbers, it is in how we want this increase in tourism to come, in extending the months and in deconcentrating the massive influx in very specific months," she commented.

Between January and April, 1,627,466 travelers have arrived in the Islands, according to INE figures disseminated by the EFE agency, not counting people staying in tourist rentals. Estarellas replied that there are "measures that are being implemented" and highlighted the lack of "facilities from other institutions to curb the entry of tourists into the territory", in reference to the expansions of the airports of Palma and Ibiza.

Estarellas indicated that, probably due to the heat, in May there is already "movement of tourism", without taking into account that the increase indicated by the INE is only until April. "It is true that the idea of containment must be very closely linked to regulation", he added. "We are here to regulate, de-seasonalize, put a stop to and remove everything that is not legal", he indicated after the meeting of the board against intrusion. "We also have very clear that tourism is our main economic engine. We will see the figures at the end of the season", he remarked. Estarellas reiterated the Government's work with the regulations against excess tourism and against intrusion to combat "all those who want to take advantage of the work of many", he sentenced.

The INE figures are currently the only ones available, since the monthly data that can be found on the Government's website are not updated and the latest available are from February.

The eclipse boosts bookings

In addition to the increase in tourists up to April, the total solar eclipse that can be seen from the Balearic Islands on August 12th is boosting hotel bookings this week of the high season. According to the specialized publication Hosteltur, the increase at the moment is 19% and is mainly detected in the interior areas and the east coast of Mallorca. However, for other weeks, the increase in bookings is 13.3%.

Since the pandemic ended, the Islands have not stopped breaking records in tourist arrivals. If in 2024 there were 18.7 million, last year 19 million visitors were reached (19,053,592 tourists), 1.73% more than the previous year, without the Government having implemented any forceful containment measures or applied those it announced: the increase in the ecotax, the increase in the water levy for large consumers, and a tax for rental vehicles.

There is also no date to know which measures resulting from the Pact for Sustainability, which the Government initiated in May 2024, will move forward and be applied in the Balearic Islands. Although it initially brought together hundreds of entities and it was established that a committee of experts would evaluate the proposals, the fact is that within the Pact, almost only employers' associations and unions remain, while civil society entities have repeatedly denounced the poor functioning of this initiative. In fact, the professor of Applied Economics, director of the Impulsa Foundation and coordinator of the first phase of the Pact, Antoni Riera, assured ARA Balears that "there is no guarantee that the conclusions of the Pact will be implemented".