Companies from southern Gran Canaria will be arriving in the German capital in less than a month, following a strong finish to 2025 at the ITB Berlin trade fair. Although December showed widespread declines compared to the record-breaking year of 2024, the annual results confirm structural resilience. The Berlin fair, which takes place from March 3rd to 5th, 2026, is a strategic platform for securing the recovery of the German market, which, despite contracting by 13,4% in the last month of the year, closed the year with cumulative growth of 1,75%.
The hierarchy of source markets for Gran Canaria has crystallized into a ranking that, for the first time, is led by the United Kingdom with such a decisive margin, surpassing the one million visitor mark (1.072.132, a 1,46% increase). Germany remains the second most important source market with 918.818 tourists, followed by the Nordic markets which, despite their historical significance of 838.027 arrivals, are showing signs of fatigue with a 2,78% year-on-year decline. This shift in market share is forcing the Canary Islands delegation in Berlin to renegotiate with German tour operators under a new premise: German tourists are no longer the most numerous, but they remain the "premium customer" due to their average spending and longer stays.
The strategy for 2026 rests on well-founded technological optimism. With an ARDL predictive model boasting a margin of error of just 1,96%, projections show hotel occupancy approaching 80% in March and April. This data is vital to convincing giants like TUI that demand remains strong, especially given the emergence of unexpected markets. The exponential 43% growth of the French market in December and the 9% boost from Eastern European countries indicate that Gran Canaria is successfully diversifying its risk, offsetting the volatility of traditional markets with a new, high-growth visitor base.
The real narrative shift at this year's ITB Berlin is the transformation of connectivity into tangible revenue. While markets like Italy have seen their presence surge by 17,33% and the Netherlands consolidate a solid 7,05% increase, Gran Canaria is looking to protect its €6.800 billion in annual revenue in Berlin. The challenge for the next three days will be managing the disparity between digital searches—which show growing interest for spring—and the reality of fluctuating flight bookings. For Gran Canaria, ITB Berlin 2026 is not just a milestone; it's validation that its economic engineering can sustain a mature destination at the forefront of European profitability, even surpassing the seemingly insurmountable bar set by the historic December of 2024.
