Concerns about the state of Majorca's two main foreign tourist markets - Germany and the UK - have been raised by businesses on Spain's most popular holiday island. The Confederation of Balearic Business Associations (CAEB) has warned of persistent problems within the tourism industry, including staff shortages.

On Friday (December 19), CAEB president Carmen Planas highlighted concerns regarding both tourism markets, before slamming "certain groups or individuals" who she accused of "[telling] tourists not to come". "We need to diversify, but that's not about degrowth, it's about growing better," she added. She also highlighted that despite the levels of full employment achieved for most of the year, "there are companies and sectors that are demanding workers but can't find them".

On this matter, she stressed that the CAEB is "committed to training and skills development in order to increase productivity," according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

German and British tourists are Mallorca's biggest markets, with Germany often leading in total numbers. However, recent data in 2025 has shown a decline in German visitors, largely due to price sensitivity.

In July, there was an overall 0.8% drop in visitor numbers to Majorca compared to the same month last year. The number of German visitors decreased by 8.6%, while the number of British holidaymakers fell by 2.2%. This made July the third consecutive month in which German tourism had declined in Majorca. UK tourism increased in May but then dropped again in June and July.

Majorca attracts a huge proportion of German tourists every year, with Peguera, located 17 miles west of Palma, dubbed "Germany on Sea". However, the number of German visitors dropped this summer due to increasing prices.

Turespaña, Spain's tourism institute, noted a decrease in German bookings for Majorca, a decline far more noticeable here than in other parts of Spain: "German demand appears to have reached its limit in terms of price sensitivity after two years of accepting substantial increases in package deals and flights, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other products and services.

"Although demand, in terms of volume, will remain significant, it is more sensitive to price trends."

On Friday, Ms Planas also referred to Majorca's third-quarter results, which showed small signs of growth - 3.2% compared with 3.3% in the second quarter and 3.6% for the July-September 2024 period. She highlighted growth that has exceeded the Spanish average, adding, "We are in a good place".

"There is some uncertainty because we have a lot of bureaucracy, fiscal uncertainty and pressure, and rising labour costs, but 2026 will be a good year."