Rising food prices in Majorca and Ibiza may deter Brits from Balearic holidays

Daily Record

10 hours ago

Food prices on the Balearic Islands have soared alongside the number of tourists visiting the archipelago over the last five years - with the cost of essentials including oil and bottled water spiking by more than 50%
Food prices on the Balearic Islands have rocketed in tandem with the surge in tourists visiting the archipelago over the past five years - with the cost of essentials such as oil and bottled water skyrocketing by over 50%.
While local protests have primarily centred around the island group's beleaguered housing market, believed to be due to an increase in short-term lets and second-homeowners, a burgeoning cost-of-living crisis is also being experienced in this popular holiday destination.
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Worries about affording everyday food items surpassed overtourism and the housing market as the most urgent concern among residents, according to a survey by the Balearic Institute of Social Studies, with a staggering 84% of respondents describing it as a serious issue, reports the Express.
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Alfonso Rodriguez, president of the Consubal consumers association, revealed that the cost of oil had shot up by 67% since 2020, with sugar, lamb, bottled water and juice all also increasing by around 50%, as reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Coupled with growing discontent and a new wave of planned protests, these escalating costs could deter international visitors from choosing Majorca and Ibiza for their summer getaway - with research indicating a decline in both domestic and foreign spending.
Data released by restaurant association Restauración CAEB showed a revenue slump in Majorca's hospitality sector by up to 20% during the first quarter of 2025, with both Spanish travellers and those from abroad seemingly spending less than the previous year.
"If spending in our sector decreases, it will inevitably affect the entire local economy," warned Juan Miguel Ferrer, the president of the association.
The rise in food costs, which some suggest may dampen tourist expenditure, could be attributed partially to a swell in wealthy expats settling on the islands – foreigners now account for nearly half the population across the archipelago.
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Owing to its geographical position, the Balearic Islands are dependent on importing goods. This, combined with escalating inflation and increasing costs for raw materials, predisposes the locale to higher food expenditures.
Subsequently, this scenario might compel business proprietors to relay the financial strain to their clientele – a move manageable by well-off British visitors but likely to exacerbate the plight of local dwellers already contending with steep rent bills.
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"Majorca has become uber-expensive for the average consumer, and is perhaps in danger of outpricing itself in favour of caressing the plump wallets of the super-rich," commented reporter Peter Clover in the Majorca Daily Bulletin during the previous summer.
Clover pressed on with his point: "I'm almost certain that somewhere along the line, some retail entrepreneurs are taking the proverbial and raking in the profits, while happily shafting the customer".
However, Clover concluded with a stark reminder: "But that still means that as an island, we take a harder hit than most!"
The Balearic locals are raising the alarm on living space, an institute's study shows, with a striking 72% flagging it as a "great concern", and two-thirds out of 1,300 respondents voicing deep fears over the persistent effects of excessive tourism.