Balearics 'needs to do more' to change tourism model, minister admits
Harry KembleSpain’s Balearic Islands “need to go much further” with its sustainable tourism goals, the region’s tourism minister has admitted, despite an uptick in shoulder season visitors last winter.
International visitor numbers increased by between 12% and 19% from November 2023 to March 2024, which encouraged the Balearics government to push harder to achieve its tourism targets.
The region, like the rest of Spain, wants to diversify its tourism sector, such as by encouraging visitors to trade traditional "fly-and-flop" holidays for cultural breaks and activities, and pushing for people to stay for longer.
According to the local government, the average length of stay has dropped from a week or more to between four and five days over the last few years. This, the government believes, has skewed visitor numbers, affecting the overall tourism picture.
Tourism minister Jaume Bauza said: “In the past year, we have detected the need to go much further in terms of our objectives, setting ourselves the undeniable goal of ensuring our success in tourism is also capable of guaranteeing the wellbeing of citizens of the Balearic Islands.”
Several protests have been staged this year, which have seen thousands of local residents take to the streets to express their frustration over mass tourism on the islands. Reports in the UK media suggest some visitors have raised concerns about their safety as a result, although this has been refuted.
Bauza repeatedly stressed Brits will “always be welcome” in the Balearics, but added: “They must be aware and knowledgeable about this transformation process we are carrying out.”
He also revealed the Balearic government had requested “retractions” from the British press following recent reports about the mass tourism protests.
“I want you to know that everybody is welcome to the Balearics – whatever their nationality,” he said. “We absolutely respect the freedom of the press."
Bauza added: “We also want to be a leader in terms of environmental sustainability and the wellbeing of our citizens.”
He called the Balearics “a leading tourist destination” and “a benchmark in terms of the quality of its accommodation and services”.
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