Tourist spending in Ibiza and Formentera exceeded €690 million in June, despite the islands receiving fewer visitors than during the same month last year.

The figures initially suggest a strong increase in the value of tourism, with total spending up 5.94% year on year.

But rising prices are adding an important qualification to the headline result.

Higher spending in euros does not necessarily mean that tourists are consuming significantly more goods and services.

Fewer tourists, higher spending

Ibiza and Formentera received 560,121 tourists in June 2026, a decline of 4.75% compared with June 2025.

Despite the fall in visitor numbers, total tourist spending increased by 5.94%, exceeding €690 million.

The average amount spent per tourist reached €1,232.01, an increase of 11.21% compared with the previous year.

Average daily spending also increased, reaching €249.51 per visitor, up 7.7%.

At first glance, these figures point towards a visitor spending more money during a stay.

However, the effect of prices needs to be considered before drawing conclusions about changes in real consumption.

Prices are rising at the same time

The increase in tourist spending has taken place alongside significant price increases across the tourism economy.

Hotel prices across the Balearic Islands increased by 9.2% year on year in June, according to the latest analysis of tourism and price data.

That increase was higher than the 7.7% rise in average daily tourist spending recorded in the Pitiusas.

Services inflation across the Balearics reached 4.1% in June, while hotels and restaurants recorded inflation of 7.6%.

This provides important context for the higher spending figures.

The difference between spending more and consuming more

A tourist who pays more for the same hotel room, flight or meal contributes more euros to the spending statistics without necessarily buying more.

This is why the latest figures should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that visitors are consuming substantially more than they did a year earlier.

The increase in nominal spending reflects a combination of visitor behaviour, prices and the composition of tourist demand.

CAEB has specifically warned that a higher level of expenditure does not necessarily represent greater value generated for the economy.

Ibiza and Formentera saw weaker visitor growth

The spending figures are also notable because visitor numbers have been relatively weak.

During the second quarter, tourist arrivals in Ibiza and Formentera increased by only 0.5% year on year, compared with 2.9% in Mallorca and 5.1% in Menorca.

CAEB described the Pitiüsa tourism figures as effectively stagnant during the spring quarter.

The June result was even weaker, with visitor numbers falling 4.75%.

This creates a clear contrast between the volume of visitors and the amount of money being spent.

Spending per tourist reaches the highest level in the islands

The average daily expenditure of €249.51 recorded in Ibiza and Formentera was the highest among the Balearic Islands in June.

The average expenditure per tourist also reached €1,232.01.

These are significant nominal spending figures, but they need to be read alongside the length of stays and the prices being paid by visitors.

The Pitiusas also recorded one of the shortest average stays among the island destinations, making daily spending particularly important when analysing the overall tourism model.

Shorter stays change the picture

A visitor staying fewer days can spend a relatively large amount each day while contributing less total spending across the full duration of the trip than a visitor who stays longer.

In June, the average stay in Ibiza and Formentera was around five nights.

This is relevant when looking at the islands' tourism model because the headline spending figure does not reveal how the money is distributed across the different components of a holiday.

Where is the money going?

Not all tourist spending reaches the same part of the local economy.

Accommodation and transport account for a substantial share of the overall tourist budget, while spending on restaurants, shops, entertainment and activities represents other components.

Recent analysis of the June figures indicated that transport and accommodation were absorbing an increasing share of the additional expenditure, while growth in restaurant and activity spending was considerably more limited.

That means an increase in total tourist expenditure does not automatically translate into the same increase for every business sector.

The hotel price effect

Accommodation provides one of the clearest examples of how prices can influence the statistics.

With hotel prices in the Balearics rising 9.2% year on year in June, a greater amount of money can be spent on accommodation even when the underlying volume of tourism changes very little.

The same principle applies to other services affected by inflation.

For businesses, higher turnover can therefore coexist with higher operating costs, meaning increased revenue does not necessarily translate into equivalent increases in profitability.

CAEB points to a wider inflation effect

CAEB's latest economic report places the tourism figures within a broader inflationary environment.

Across the Balearics, the average daily tourist spend increased 4.8% during the second quarter.

At the same time, services inflation reached 4.1% and hotels and restaurants recorded 7.6% inflation in June.

CAEB says the combination means the increase in tourism spending needs to be interpreted with caution.

The result is more complicated than a spending record

The June figures do show a clear increase in the amount of money spent by tourists in Ibiza and Formentera.

But they do not, on their own, establish that visitors are consuming more in real terms.

The number of tourists fell, prices rose and average spending increased.

Those three trends occurred at the same time.

What the figures actually show

The latest data can be summarised simply:

Total tourist spending in Ibiza and Formentera: more than €690 million in June.

Annual change in total spending: +5.94%.

Tourist arrivals: 560,121, down 4.75%.

Average spending per tourist: €1,232.01, up 11.21%.

Average daily spending: €249.51, up 7.7%.

Average hotel-price increase in the Balearics: +9.2% in June.

Services inflation in the Balearics: 4.1% in June.

Hotels and restaurants inflation: 7.6% in June.

A changing tourism equation

The figures point to a tourism economy where the relationship between visitor numbers and tourism revenue is becoming less straightforward.

Ibiza and Formentera can record higher spending even when the number of visitors falls, partly because tourists are paying more for accommodation, transport and services.

That does not make the spending increase unimportant.

It does mean that the headline figure needs to be interpreted alongside inflation, visitor numbers, length of stay and where tourist money is actually being spent.

What comes next

The most important figures to watch will be those covering the full summer season.

June provides an early indication of the direction of travel, but it represents only one month.

The final assessment will need to consider July, August and September, together with visitor numbers, prices, average stays, spending per tourist and the distribution of expenditure across different sectors.

For now, Ibiza and Formentera have a clear statistical paradox: fewer tourists in June, but more money spent.

The challenge is determining how much of that increase represents genuinely stronger tourism activity and how much simply reflects the higher cost of visiting the islands.