Kazakhstan is known in the Canary Islands for two things: its president, Nursaltan Nazarbayan, buying 2.000 bottles of Lanzarote wine after vacationing at La Mareta. And because, according to ElDiario.es, the former king, Juan Carlos I, and Nazarbayan received five million euros in briefcases after spending several days hunting wild goats with him.
But that was years ago: Elections are being held at the Las Palmas Chamber of Commerce in 2026. Gran Canaria's tourism and business diversification strategy has shifted eastward. At the last working session of the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce's Tourism Committee, held this past February, the focus was on a new and high-potential destination: Kazakhstan. This upcoming direct trade mission marks a milestone in the search for new luxury markets and investment profiles outside of traditional European circuits.
The meeting, key to the design of the 2026 Action Plan, not only served to chart the course for Central Asia, but also to strengthen cooperation with nearby markets such as Senegal—in collaboration with Proexca and Excelcan—and the Agadir Chamber of Commerce in Morocco. This network of alliances aims to project Canary Islands companies into emerging markets where the demand for premium tourism services and the transfer of business know-how are rapidly expanding.
The session, led by managing director Pablo Llinares, also highlighted the sector's most innovative aspects with an update on the Canarias Living Lab project. This initiative, presented by its principal investigator, is establishing itself as a testing ground for digitalization and improving the visitor experience—tools that will be essential for local businesses to compete successfully in distant and demanding markets like Kazakhstan.
With this roadmap, the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce is accelerating its internationalization strategy, understanding that the future of the island's competitiveness depends on being selective and bold. The mission to Kazakhstan represents this new ambition: to position the Gran Canaria brand as a benchmark for sustainability and innovation in a market that, until recently, seemed to be outside the archipelago's strategic radar.
