Author: Alex Fraile, Professional Tour Guide and Welcome Ashore Ambassador

What makes a place feel like home? For me, it’s the people who live there and the way they welcome others. As a guide who has called Mallorca home all my life, I see every day how hospitality shapes this beautiful island of ours. Visitors come, they eat our cuisine and purchase handmade crafts, helping our people thrive and making our neighbourhoods come alive.

Tourism has always been more than an industry in Spain. It is a lifeline that supports families, celebrates culture, and creates countless opportunities. In 2024, tourism accounted for more than 15 percent of Spain’s GDP, and international visitors spent nearly €250 billion across the country.

In Mallorca, my home and one of the Mediterranean’s hottest holidaying hotspots, the dependence runs deeper. Today, an estimated 200,000 jobs in Mallorca depend directly on tourism. In 2021, the sector contributed about 45 percent of the island’s €30.32 billion GDP, or roughly €13.6 billion, and when indirect effects are included that number rises to nearly 90 percent. These are big numbers which can sometimes seem distant and unrelatable. But what we know is that an average tourist to Mallorca spends more than 200 euros per visit. That is money every day, directly in the pocket for local people.

The simple truth: almost one in every two euros earned on this island is tied to tourism. But dependence comes with pressure, and we need to channel tourism’s impact responsibly.

Housing has become harder to afford. Infrastructure struggles with demand. These tensions are real, and locals feel them most. Rejecting tourism outright isn’t an option – but we can and should embrace the kinds of tourism that are working best for us.

More than a decade ago, cruise tourism brought in about €290 million annually to the Balearics. Today, that figure is over €500 million and supports more than 4,000 jobs – and there is room to grow more jobs still. The benefits aren’t confined to the ports either. They spread to restaurants, cafés, shops, artisans, transport providers, and tour guides, such as myself, and we can plan with confidence long in advance because of its predictability.

Across the Balearics, we must direct tourism dollars into investments in infrastructure, including cleaner port technology, and programs supporting fairer housing, new local businesses, and social programs that benefit all residents. If done right, cruise tourism, which is planned, reliable and managed, can be part of a sustainable future rather than a burden.

This vision is at the heart of Welcome Ashore. We believe that responsible cruise tourism is not a contradiction, but a partnership – one that allows us to safeguard coastlines and cultures while also ensuring that our people thrive. If you are interested in learning more please sign up in joining this new community.

Mallorca’s story shows both sides of tourism: the opportunity it brings and the strain it creates. The future lies in finding the balance where prosperity and preservation sail together.