Tourists arriving from different regions of Spain spent less per person during their stays in Ibiza and Formentera, yet their per capita income stayed stable across the period studied, a contrast to the shifts seen among international travelers. These conclusions come from data released by the Balearic Institute of Statistics (Ibestat).
International tourism data broken down by country show that the pandemic reduced overall spending mainly among travelers from certain nations. Visitors from the UK and Germany reduced their average expenditure less than others, helping groups from these nationalities to rebound quickly. This pattern contributed to a rapid return to 2019 spending levels in subsequent years.
Spending per person and per day
Regarding per capita and daily expenditures, Ibestat data reinforces this trend. It shows that Spanish tourists have tended to spend more modest amounts than foreign visitors in recent years, yet they were less affected by the pandemic’s impact. The first half of 2022, in particular, saw Spaniards increase the daily budget they allocated for their stays in the Pitiusas, signaling a renewed willingness to invest in their holiday experiences.
Foreign visitors also displayed resilience in daily spending despite the pandemic. However, changes in travel patterns appear to influence overall daily spend, with some international travelers choosing shorter stays in Ibiza and Formentera while maintaining similar daily budgets. This shift helps explain why total per-visitor spending did not rise as quickly as overall expenditure levels might suggest.
Total tourist expenditure
Viewed broadly, total tourist revenue from Spanish travelers remained substantially lower than the revenue generated by foreign visitors across the studied years. While per-person expenditure differences were not dramatic, the higher volume of foreign visitors helped explain the larger aggregate spending by international tourists on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera.
During the pandemic, another clear pattern emerged: travelers from other Spanish regions stayed on the islands longer, while many international visitors reduced their overall tourism spend. This divergence contributed to a dip in total tourism revenue in the Pitiusas during the peak disruption, reflecting the smaller yet steadier spending of domestic travelers compared with a larger, but more volatile, international group.
Looking at the first half of 2022, total spending levels had already surpassed half of the figures recorded for the entire previous year across all categories. Although it remains uncertain whether peak 2019 revenue will be reached again, the data points to a recovering tourism sector in 2022, with overall revenue moving upward and expectations increasing for a stronger performance in the years ahead.