Ibiza and Formentera generate more tourism revenue despite lower spending from key markets
Ibiza and Formentera recorded higher tourist spending during the first half of 2026 than during the same period last year.
According to figures from the Balearic Islands Statistics Institute (Ibestat), tourism revenue across the two islands rose from €1.40755 billion in the first six months of 2025 to €1.52533 billion in the same period of 2026.
These figures do not include spending by visitors from elsewhere within the Balearic Islands.
However, the figures for the first half of the year also reveal a significant shift among two of the islands’ traditional tourism markets: the United Kingdom and Germany.
British visitors spent less in Ibiza and Formentera despite their numbers increasing. Between January and June 2025, British tourists spent €339.71 million, compared with €335.52 million during the same months of 2026.
German visitors followed a similar pattern, with their spending falling from €127.38 million to €118.55 million over the same periods.
Spanish visitors spend less per person but generate more revenue overall
The picture is different when it comes to domestic Spanish tourists, whose overall contribution to the local economy increased.
Spending by Spanish visitors rose from €243.77 million in the first half of 2025 to €263.3 million in the first half of 2026.
The increase is broadly in line with the overall growth in tourism spending, meaning that Spanish visitors continue to represent a similar share of the tourism economy in Ibiza and Formentera.
Once again, these figures do not include visitors from Mallorca and Menorca travelling to the two islands.
As a result, most of the increase in overall tourist spending came from the category Ibestat groups under “other countries.”
Visitors in this category spent €659.11 million during the first half of 2025, rising to €760.79 million in the first half of 2026.
However, the statistics do not break down this category further to show the performance of important individual markets for Ibiza and Formentera, such as Italy or France.
Tourists are spending more per person
The increase in tourism revenue is partly linked to the rise in the number of visitors.
Ibiza and Formentera welcomed 8,843 more tourists during the first half of 2026 than during the same period of 2025, rising from 601,648 to 610,491 visitors.
But the increase in visitor numbers does not fully explain the higher revenue.
Spending per tourist increased in every month of the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding month of 2025.
British visitors increase in number but cut their spending
The UK contributed more visitors to the two islands during the first half of 2026, with 315,375 British tourists, compared with 311,989 in 2025.
The fall in overall British spending therefore appears to be linked to lower spending per visitor.
With the exception of May, British tourists spent less per person in every month analysed in 2026 than they did during the corresponding month of 2025.
The decline was particularly pronounced during the winter months, while spending levels remained relatively stable as spring approached.
Spanish visitors follow a similar pattern
Spanish tourists show a similar trend.
More Spanish visitors travelled to Ibiza and Formentera, but their average spending was lower in 2026 than in 2025.
In this case, however, the increase in visitor numbers more than compensated for the lower individual expenditure, resulting in higher overall tourism revenue for local businesses.
There were 356,934 domestic visitors during the first half of 2025, compared with 382,317 during the same period of 2026.
Spending per Spanish visitor was lower in every month from January to May, although the gap gradually narrowed as summer approached.
By June, Spanish visitors were spending more than they had in the same month of the previous year.
This could indicate that, during the coming summer months, Spanish tourists may be arriving in Ibiza and Formentera with larger holiday budgets than those recorded during the summer of 2025.
German tourists spend more per person but arrive in smaller numbers
German visitors present almost the opposite picture to British and Spanish tourists.
According to Ibestat, fewer German tourists travelled to Ibiza and Formentera, but those who did visit spent slightly more per person.
The islands received 118,059 German visitors during the first half of 2025, compared with 105,287 during the first six months of 2026.
The decline in visitor numbers offset the increase in the amount each German tourist spent during their holiday, resulting in lower overall tourism revenue from this market.
There is an important caveat to the figures: the number of German tourists was so low during the first quarters of both years that the Ibestat database does not provide spending data for that period.
International visitors drive the increase in spending
Once again, the “other countries” category provides the main explanation for the increase in tourism spending in Ibiza and Formentera.
Not only did these visitors arrive in greater numbers, but each tourist also spent more during their holiday.
Overall, the islands welcomed 601,648 visitors during the first six months of 2025, compared with 610,491 during the same period of 2026.
For this group, Ibestat only provides per-person spending data for April, May and June.
In each of those three months, spending per visitor was higher in 2026 than in 2025.
The most striking increase came in June, when the average amount spent by each tourist was €300 higher than during the same month of 2025.
The figures therefore point to a changing tourism spending pattern in Ibiza and Formentera in 2026: overall revenue is rising, but the contribution from some of the islands’ most established international markets, particularly the UK and Germany, has fallen, while visitors from other countries are increasingly driving tourism expenditure.
