The president of the Balearic Islands has called for limits on tourism, warning that the region cannot continue to attract growing numbers of visitors at its current pace. Marga Prohens said the islands should focus on “quality over quantity” and measure the success of their tourist seasons by more than the number of people arriving each year.
Warning at Forbes Economic Summit
“We cannot continue growing at this pace and with this model,” she warned during a panel discussion at the Forbes Economic Summit 2026. “We can’t keep measuring the success of tourist seasons by the number of tourists coming each year, we need to talk about limits and manage them.”
Prohens said the main challenge facing the Balearics was finding a balance in how tourism is managed. She argued that future growth should be “in value, not in volume”, with the region contributing “more value” and “less volume” to the sector. “This is the way,” she added.
Broader view of tourism
The president called for a “slow and steady” approach and said the success of tourism should also be measured using factors other than visitor numbers. She added that the industry extends beyond traditional beach holidays, highlighting the growing role of technology.
“Tourism is much more than hotels, sun, and beaches, or managing visitor flows, it is innovation, artificial intelligence, digitalization, and new technologies,” she said.
Prohens made the remarks during a discussion alongside Galician regional president Alfonso Rueda, moderated by SpainMedia president and Forbes editor and director Andres Rodriguez.
Record numbers and British market
Opposition politician Lluis Apesteguia warned that the Balearic Islands could see a record 20 million tourists in 2026, after international visitor numbers rose by 1.8 per cent in July.
Prohens has previously said the islands, loved by British tourists, have “reached the limit”, pointing to restrictions on new tourist accommodation, a ban on new holiday flats in multi-family buildings and action against illegal holiday lets.
Despite the anti-tourism protests seen in recent years across areas of the Balearics and Canary Islands, British tourists remain a considerable market there. Data shared by Idealista suggests the UK remained Spain's largest international tourism market in June.
