In May, Royal Caribbean’s ‘Allure of the Seas’, the world’s biggest cruise ship, will dock in Palma de Mallorca, bringing a mountain of economic benefits.

Carrying 139,000 turnaround passengers and 2,384 crew members, the ship is expected to generate €8 million in passenger spending and an additional €500,000 from the crew. With 22 eight-hour stopovers planned between May and October, the ship will give a boost to Mallorca’s tourism and commercial activity.

Palma’s Mayor Mateu Isern spoke of the ‘spectacular’ growth of cruise tourism, making Palma Spain’s second-largest cruise destination and the Mediterranean’s fourth. The 362-metre-long ship, with capacity for 6,318 passengers, features seven themed areas, including an Aquatheater, Central Park with 12,000 plants, and Broadway’s musical ‘Chicago’. The Balearic Port Authority’s investments have made Palma an irresistible hub, contributing to a €27 million economic impact across Spain.

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In the Mallorca, the Silver Generation, or ‘Sellenials’ (aged 55-74), as they are known here, are coming out as the dominant economic force and reshaping consumption and maintaining key industries.

Much has been said about the younger generation and their head-spinning new technologies, but far from the stereotype of a youth-driven economy, the older demographic is leading spending in leisure, high-quality tourism, health, and wellness, and showing greater financial stability and free time.

According to a recent report, the Silver Generation’s economic influence is blatantly clear, with predictions estimating they will account for more than 35 per cent of Mallorca’s GDP within five years. In Mallorca, their high purchasing power is clear to see across two subgroups: active Silvers (55-65) and retirees (66-74). Both prioritise quality goods and services, causing businesses to rethink marketing strategies. Active Silvers are increasingly digital-savvy, pushing brands to adapt social media campaigns to highlight trust, closeness, and personalisation.

Tourism, the main pillar of Mallorca’s economy, thrives on silver spending. With a preference for longer stays, swankier hotels, and specially tailored experiences, they are repeat visitors with cash to splash, attracted to the island’s ideal climate and wellness selection. Health and wellness sectors also see significant growth, from specialised gyms to physiotherapy and aesthetic treatments, as Silvers are all about active ageing.

Far from ‘passive’, The ageing population had an index of 114 elderly per 100 youths in 2024, and therefore transformed the labour market. The Balearics’ activity rate for those over 55 stands at 35.28 per cent, among Spain’s highest.

The Silver Generation is redefining the economy and employment, making themselves a customer profile not to ignore.

There is a legislative war afoot in Spain surrounding bullfighting and its place in modern Spanish culture.

Let us explore the world of Bullfighting and whether it really could lose its protected cultural status.

Not my culture says the Spanish public

In Spain tens of thousands of bulls are killed each year for a practice that animal protection groups say is both barbaric and losing popular support. 126 municipalities across Spain, including parts of Mallorca, Catalonia and Galicia have declared themselves anti-bullfighting zones, but as the law protects the sport there is little legal recourse to stop fights from taking place.

According to an Ipsos I&O Public survey, 77 percent of Spaniards agreed that bullfights cause suffering and nearly 60 percent of those surveyed are against the sport completely. In February, 2025 the popular campaign ‘no es mi cultura’ or it is not my culture, gathered a monumental number of signatures with aim of changing the law. 715,606 Spanish Nationals signed from 40 provinces across Spain, to change the law that protects bullfighting as part of Spanish heritage. With over 200,000 signatures more than it needed to go before the Congress of Deputies, there is real hope amongst animal associations and those opposed to the fights that the law might be changed.

What does a bullfight entail?

Traditionally, the first steps in a bullfight include posturing and cape work, often completed by a matador’s assistants the movement of decorated and colourful capes are used to assess a bull’s reactions and reaction times. At which point the bull is often subjected to multiple cuts, made by men, sometimes on horse-back, called picadores.

The bulls travel to the ring, deal with the noise of a crowded stadium, the confusion of the capes and are then continually provoked and cut, at which point a matador then enters the ring and intends to kill the animal with two large harpoons straight to the heart. Unfortunately, for the animal, their suffering is often prolonged as the harpoons miss their target. A bullfight on average takes up to twenty minutes to complete. 180,000 bulls die globally each year due to the sport.

It is not just dangerous for the Bulls

There are modern examples of Matadors losing their lives; in 2016, matador Victor Barrio lost his life in the arena, he was the first matador to die in Spain in thirty years and again in 2017 Iván Fandiño passed away, after being gored by a bull.

However, scientific reports stated in an 8-year-long study covering three European countries including Spain “The mean accident rate was 9.13% and the mortality rate was 0.48%”.

What does the bullfighting industry have to say?

The figures on how much the bullfighting industry brings to the Spanish economy are in the billions. And although voices like Not My Culture are loud, according Aenet a non-profit association which represents the “most important bullfighting businessmen” the numbers of visitors attending bullfighting festivals aren’t waning considerably. In the community of Madrid the figures speak for themselves, over nearly 20 years: “more than 30 million spectators went to the bullfights in the Community of Madrid between 2007 and 2024.” They went on to explain that 2007 had the highest level of spectators, although an “important upturn took place after the pandemic: the number of spectators… in 2022 exceeded 2 million again, which means an important reactivation of the sector.”

So, have we reached a point in Spain where bullfighting might be outlawed or might we see a re-emergence of its popularity?

Discover more about Spanish news.