The summer tourist season in Mallorca starts earlier and earlier. Traditionally, it used to start on May 1, and hotels used to stay open until October. However, the start of the season is now placed in March, with the saying “From March… “Summer” would be an excellent fit for the case of Majorca. In this context, more than 70% of the island’s hotel capacity is expected to be operational next month.
Analyzing the operating hours of its member hotels over the past few years, the Majorca Hotel and Business Association (FEHM) found that more and more hotels remain open year-round, and new hotels that open earlier are added every day.
According to FEHM data, in 2019, 12.7% of member hotels were open twelve months a year. The years 2020 and 2021 are not indicative, as the pandemic severely affected the tourism sector. In 2022, 13.2% of hotels were open from January to December, while in 2023 this percentage increased to 16.2%. A year later, this percentage rose to 18.7%, while in 2025 it reached 19.4%. Finally, in 2026, 20.4% of hotel businesses will be open twelve months a year, which is a little more than one in five hotels.
At this point, it is worth highlighting the importance of the city of Palma, which has had many hotels operating on a 12-month basis for quite some time now.
FEHM also found that the opening of hotels is shifting earlier and earlier, with the date of Easter playing a significant role in this. However, regardless of Easter, it is clear that the number of businesses opening earlier continues to increase. Majorca is no longer just a destination for sun and sea. The fight against seasonal dependence is won with alternative offers, such as cycling tourism, hiking, shopping tourism, and cultural tourism.
Hotels open from January
Thus, 3.3% of the businesses that are part of FEHM started their operations this year in January, and were added to the 20.4% of hotels that are open year-round. This means that 23.7% of hotels have already been in operation since January.
The percentage of hotels open in January (23.7%) is the highest in recent years. In 2019, it was 18.6%. In 2022, it was only 13.9%, while a year later it was 18.5%. In 2024, 20.9% of hotels were open in January, last year the percentage rose to 22.9%, and finally in January 2026 the percentage reached 23.7%.
For February, an additional 15% of hotels are expected to be in operation, resulting in a total of 38.7% of hotel capacity being in operation – the highest percentage for the month. The corresponding percentage in February 2025 was 36.1%, and in 2024 it was 33.6%.
Season starts in March
The situation in March is particularly indicative. This month, 31.9% of hotel businesses are expected to open, so 70.6% of hotel capacity will be operational. In March 2019, this percentage was 55.5%, which is 15 percentage points less than in 2026. Only in 2024, with Easter being celebrated early, more hotels opened than were projected for this March – the percentage was 71.3% then, while the corresponding percentage in March 2025 was only 54.3%.
FEHM President Javier Vich clarified that in 2026 “a new tourist calendar for Mallorca will be established, which will already start in March.” “The 2026 season marks the definitive establishment of the new Majorca tourist calendar. The period before the start of the tourist season is strengthened. February and March gain importance due to mature European markets (mainly Germany and the United Kingdom) as well as sectors such as tourism for the elderly, sports tourism, and cycling tourism. The integration of the conference center into the national events cycle was of fundamental importance. The season starts earlier, gradually and with more stability. March replaces April/May as the opening month. The quantifiable data leave no room for other interpretations; the numbers confirm it. For two years now, the Balearic Islands have exceeded the 500,000 insured limit in March, a number that was previously only achieved in May. This means professional stability for hotel workers,” Mr. Vich said.
Majorca as a destination for 12-month tourism
Mr. Vich also emphasized the industry’s investment efforts to reposition hotel capacity. “We are increasingly dependent on ourselves. The steady increase in the number of hotels opening and the subsequent early start of the season is the result of the industry’s repositioning we have made over the last decade,” he said.
The other side
However, the gradual, early start of the tourist season is a concern for the local community of Mallorca, which is experiencing the impact on its daily life.
Some residents have expressed their concern on social media about what they consider an increasingly frequent phenomenon that occurs earlier every year. A user commented: “Only a crisis or a complete price increase will stop this… it’s very sad that this may be the only solution.” Others immediately commented on the daily implications: “I already have serious parking problems” or “What kind of madness is this?”
Complaints are not limited to mobility and lack of parking spaces. Part of the community links the early increase in tourist traffic to the rise in housing and living costs on Mallorca, an issue that has gained prominence in public discourse in the Balearics in recent years.
