The Consell Insular de Formentera has confirmed that 1,001 tourist accommodation places awarded before 2022 remain pending entry into operation, as it seeks to clarify the implications of a new study examining the island’s tourism capacity.

The disclosure came on 9 October 2026, following debate over a technical report that estimates Formentera could accommodate up to 18,836 operational tourist places before reaching a threshold at which tourism growth could place critical pressure on public services, infrastructure and social cohesion.

The island government has rejected interpretations that the report represents a proposal to activate 3,767 additional tourist places. President Óscar Portas stressed that assessing the island’s technical capacity is not the same as making a political decision to increase accommodation capacity.

The distinction is significant because the 1,001 places already awarded before the Balearic Government’s 2022 moratorium are existing commitments from previous legislatures, rather than a new initiative arising from the current study.

1,001 Places Were Awarded Before the 2022 Moratorium

According to the Consell, the 1,001 places were awarded before the freeze on tourist accommodation places introduced in 2022 and have yet to enter operation.

The institution says these places stem from decisions made during previous legislatures. They should therefore be distinguished from any future proposal to authorise additional tourist accommodation.

The Consell has also clarified that hotel and tourist accommodation projects currently under construction are proceeding under authorisations granted in the past.

It has not provided a detailed breakdown showing how the 1,001 pending places are distributed among different types of accommodation, nor has it specified when they are expected to become operational.

What the Tourism-Capacity Study Says

The technical report, prepared by Madrid-based company Seeketing, uses 15,069 operational tourist places as its starting point.

It identifies 18,836 places as Formentera’s proposed Capacidad Turística Máxima Operativa, or maximum operational tourism capacity. The difference between the two figures is 3,767 places.

The study considers that increase technically manageable according to the indicators analysed. It also identifies a higher-growth scenario of 30%, reaching approximately 19,590 places, at which mobility and the residential housing market would become among the principal limiting factors.

However, the 18,836 figure is a technical threshold, not a target that the Consell has committed to reaching.

The Consell says the report does not itself authorise any increase in tourist accommodation and must not be interpreted as a decision to activate the 3,767-place difference.

Operational Places and Existing Commitments

The Consell says the 1,001 previously awarded places should be counted alongside the 15,069 operational places used as the study’s baseline.

That produces a combined total of 16,070 operational and committed places.

This is a more complete picture of the accommodation capacity already in use or previously authorised, although it does not mean that all 16,070 places are currently open or available to visitors.

The distinction also matters when comparing the existing commitments with the study’s technical threshold of 18,836 places. The figures describe different situations: places currently operating, places already awarded but not yet operating, and a technical estimate of capacity.

The island’s Insular Territorial Plan, known as the PTI, establishes a separate legal ceiling of 20,585 tourist places. The Consell notes that this is 1,749 places higher than the maximum operational capacity identified by the new study.

Neither figure, on its own, means that additional places will automatically be brought into use.

Consell Says It Is Not Seeking to Increase Tourist Capacity

Portas has insisted that the government is not proposing to activate the 3,767 places identified by the calculation.

He said the study was commissioned to provide an updated technical assessment of the island’s tourism capacity, rather than to set a target for growth.

The Consell has also stated that it does not support increasing the island’s tourist accommodation supply. It says the objective is to understand the limits of the current model and protect Formentera and residents’ quality of life.

The report has prompted debate over the consequences of additional tourism, particularly in relation to housing, mobility, public services and the island’s limited territory.

Opposition representatives have questioned whether the study adequately accounts for the housing shortage and the possible effects of additional tourist accommodation on the residential market. Those criticisms remain part of the ongoing political debate and do not represent a final assessment of the report.

Study Remains Provisional

The Consell has confirmed that the report presented to the Commission for Tourism Planning and Promotion (COPT) is not yet final.

Members of the commission, including representatives of opposition parties and the tourism sector, have been given a month and a half to submit observations on its methodology and conclusions.

The process is intended to allow the document to be reviewed and potentially expanded before its final version is prepared.

Any decision to activate additional tourist accommodation places would require a separate political process. The publication of the technical study does not, by itself, change the existing moratorium or the ceiling established by the Insular Territorial Plan.

What Happens Next?

The next step is the review of the study by the COPT, followed by revisions before the report is finalised.

For now, the key figures are 15,069 operational tourist places used as the study’s baseline, 1,001 previously awarded places still awaiting operation, a provisional technical threshold of 18,836 places and a legal ceiling of 20,585 places under the PTI.

The Consell’s position is that these figures should inform discussion about the island’s tourism model, not be treated as an announcement that thousands of additional places will be activated.

The debate over Formentera’s future tourism capacity is therefore continuing, with the technical report still under review and no new activation of the 3,767-place difference announced by the island government.