Mallorcan businesses suffer as visitors stay away after anti-tourism protests

International and domestic visitor arrivals in Mallorca are reportedly dropping after a series of anti-tourism protests on the Spanish Balearic island, according to local stakeholders who have expressed concern about the decline.

Pedro Fiol, head of the travel agency group Aviba, has said there are significantly fewer visitors this year from important source markets like the UK and Germany, blaming the situation on a perception that tourists are no longer welcome. Over consecutive summers, anti-tourism protests have taken place on the island, in July 2024 when 10,000 demonstrators made their voices heard, and again in June 2025 when the uprisings occurred across the whole of Europe.

Other industry figures across the hospitality and transport sectors agree that businesses are seeing the effect. Juanmi Ferrer, of the Restaurants Association in Mallorca (CAEB), told the Majorca Daily Bulletin that some restaurants are serving 40% fewer covers and, unusually, are granting staff holiday leave during the peak season, amid fears that some establishments may be forced to close before the end of 2025.

The CAEB’s president Carmen Planas has criticised those seeking to drive down “touristification” through newsworthy acts of civil disobedience such as graffiti and vandalism, describing tourism as a key part of Mallorca’s economy.

But the protests appear to be succeeding in putting tourists off spending their holiday budget in a place where they feel unwanted. Like hotels, the retail sector is also suffering from drops in revenue of between 10% and 20%. Carolina Domingo, president of the Pimeco, Mallorca’s small business association says British, German and Asian shoppers are staying away – a phenomenon worrying enough to prompt a new Pimeco campaign to rehabilitate the island’s image with tourists.

A similar strategy is also being pursued by the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM), which has launched a “positive communications campaign”, thanking tourists for their visits. The problem is even affecting former tourism hotspots such as Capdepera, the FEHM says.

According to island tour guides, excursion bookings have fallen by 20%, particularly in traditionally popular  Valldemossa, Palma, and Port de Soller, where visitors from the US and domestic tourists from mainland Spain are noticeably absent. Meanwhile tourist transport services are down by a similar percentage.

At government level, officials are sticking to confident messaging. Following  an estimated 15.3 million international tourist arrivals to the Balearic Islands in 2024, tourism minister Jaume Bauzà insists that Mallorca is still a top choice of destination.