Mallorca summer rush as Palma passenger numbers soar 164% and Brits lead foreign bookings

Mallorca’s summer appeal is showing little sign of slowing, with new travel data pointing to a dramatic surge in last-minute demand for Palma while British holidaymakers remain the Balearics’ biggest international booking market.

Passenger numbers linked to last-minute August flight bookings for Palma have risen 163.9 per cent compared with last year, according to figures from travel platform Kiwi.com.

The surge comes alongside a wider boom for the Balearic Islands, where holiday bookings recorded during the latest week were 31.3 per cent higher than during the equivalent period in 2025, according to Travelgate.

Brits remain crucial to the islands

British travellers continue to play a major role in the Balearics’ summer tourism market.

Of bookings recorded by Travelgate during the week, Spanish travellers accounted for the largest share at 43.3 per cent. However, Britons were comfortably the biggest international market, representing 24.6 per cent of bookings.

That put the UK far ahead of Germany, which accounted for 4.9 per cent, followed by France at 3.8 per cent and Portugal at 2.7 per cent.

Overall, the Balearics captured 15.9 per cent of holiday bookings made across Spain during the week, making the islands the country’s third most popular destination behind Catalonia and Andalusia.

Last-minute holidays take off

The figures also point to changing habits among travellers, with many prepared to leave their holiday decisions increasingly late.

Some 11.2 per cent of the Balearic bookings recorded by Travelgate were made within 24 hours of the holiday beginning or on the day itself. Another 19.7 per cent were secured between 15 days and one month in advance.

Separate Kiwi.com data shows just how dramatically the last-minute trend has accelerated among Spanish travellers.

Bookings made by Spaniards for August flights jumped 104.5 per cent during the second half of July compared with the same period in 2025, while passenger numbers increased 96.7 per cent.

Despite that demand, the average fare per passenger actually fell 4.2 per cent year-on-year. The trend has been linked to increased flight capacity and travellers comparing prices until much closer to departure.

Palma among summer winners

Palma stands out strongly in Kiwi.com’s city-level figures, recording a 163.9 per cent increase in passenger numbers.

Elsewhere in the Balearics, Ibiza recorded an even more extraordinary rise, with last-minute passenger bookings up 293.3 per cent, while Menorca saw an increase of 124.6 per cent.

The figures paint an upbeat picture for the islands at the height of the summer season: overall bookings are climbing, travellers are still prepared to make spontaneous escapes, and the British market remains a particularly important source of international visitors.

For Mallorca, the 164 per cent surge linked to Palma suggests that even deep into August, demand for an island getaway is far from running out of steam.