After months of protests over mass tourism in the Balearic Islands, it appeared as though the demonstrators had made their mark on tourist figures to islands including Majorca and Ibiza.
However, new data has shown that, despite reports of a fall in UK and domestic bookings in the autumn season, it simply appears that British tourists have left it late to head to the islands this year.
Tourist bookings to the Balearic Islands have increased by 27 percent over the last week compared to the same period last year.
That being said, the number has decreased by 5.9 percent compared to the previous week, according to data from the booking platform TravelgateX on Monday.
The islands are the sixth most popular destination in Spain for the week of 7-13 October, with 8.3 percent of total bookings, behind Catalonia (20 percent), Andalusia (16), the Canary Islands (15), Madrid (13) and Valencia (10).
The majority of bookings are made 90 days in advance, with 20 percent, while 16 percent are made between 15 and 30 days in advance. “Last second bookings” – those booked the day before or on the day of travel – remain at a significant 13.8 percent.
Of the bookings registered in the last seven days in Spain, half were made by couples and almost half of the travellers – 49.5 percent – book for between two and five nights, according to the TravelgateX data.
Domestic tourism prevails among the main nationalities that have booked during the last seven days through TravelgateX: Spaniards have made 54 percent of the bookings, followed by British travellers with 18 percent.
The US market was third in terms of bookings over the past week, accounting for 3.3 percent of the total.
Those who do make the journey over the next few days will be rewarded with hours of sunshine and temperatures in the mid to high 20s.
However, this late surge could be short-lived as many hotels have begun to close their doors for the winter and many of the main attractions, including nightclubs in Magaluf have already closed.
Beginning in April 2024, there have been protests across Spain, from the Balearics and Canary archipelagos to the mainland cities of Barcelona and Madrid, among the most-visited locations in Spain by tourists. Local governments and residents believe that rather than sustaining the locations, the over-tourism has contributed to a reduced quality of life and increased cost of living for residents.
Just this weekend, thousands took to the streets in Madrid to protest against extortionate house prices, as holiday rentals remain the target of angered locals. According to the Spanish Government, 12,000 people participated in the protest, holding placards saying: “Housing is a right, not a business”, as they angrily marched through Spain’s capital city.
