Forbes 2025: Balearic Islands' Wealthiest — Hoteliers Lead

The new Forbes list shows: Eleven people from the Balearic Islands are among Spain's richest. Many come from the hotel sector — and you can feel that here on the island.

Forbes list 2025: Eleven names from the Balearic Islands make the cut

I sat yesterday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in the café on Passeig Mallorca; outside it was mild, a few clouds, nearly 18 °C — and the digital Forbes list was scrolling on my phone. Eleven people with ties to the Balearic Islands have made it this year into Spain's 100 richest. Notably: the majority come from the hotel industry.

Who is where?

At the top among islanders is Miguel Fluxá (Iberostar) — he has moved further up this year and is listed with around €3.3 billion. Not far behind is Carlos March Delgado, whose family controls Banca March and appears with about €2 billion. The list names exact ranks, but more interesting than the numbers are the stories behind them: family foundations, share distributions, and hidden ownership structures.

Also on the list: Carmen Riu Güell (RIU, around €1.5 billion), Simón Pedro Barceló Vadell (Barceló, just over €1 billion), as well as Isabel García Lorca with her daughters (Grupo Piñero, about €790 million) and Gabriel Escarrer Jaume (Meliá, around €760 million). At the other end of the locally relevant ranking is, among others, Abel Matutes with approximately €600 million.

Hotel groups shape the picture

Seven of the eleven listed Balearic entrepreneurs are directly connected to hotels. This is no coincidence: the tourism industry remains the engine of the island economy. Profits, international expansions and real estate projects generate significant assets — especially when families hold stakes across generations.

What I notice: In conversations at the Plaça de Cort I rarely hear admiration without side remarks. Some praise the jobs and tax revenues, others point out that rising prices and demand also put pressure on tenants and small businesses.

What does this mean for Mallorca?

Such rankings are more than gossip: they show how intertwined ownership structures and the local economy are. Whether it's hotel real estate, investments in new markets, or partnerships with international players — the decisions of these families are felt here every day. Sometimes on the restaurant bill, sometimes in new construction projects along the coast.

I’ll end with an observation: numbers and ranks are fascinating, but the island lives because of people — guests, employees, shopkeepers. And while fortunes grow on paper, the question remains how fairly the gains are distributed. At least over a cup of coffee, that's a discussion that can be had.