The island tourist destination lands this Tuesday at ITB 2026, the main tourism fair in the German market, which is held between March 3 and 6, with the German customer in a positive moment, after concluding 2025 as the fourth best year in the historical series in volume of arrivals and the second in turnover
Gran Canaria is participating once again in ITB Berlin with the aim of consolidating its position as the preferred international destination for the German market, which continues to be one of the fundamental pillars of the island's tourism economy.
The Gran Canaria delegation, headed by Tourism Minister Carlos Álamo, is attending the event with 46 professional meetings on its agenda. Key to consolidating the recovery of the island's most important market for the sector in recent decades are an increase in the number of available accommodations and improved connectivity for the summer season, along with a renewed focus on sustainable, complementary tourism offerings linked to sports and active tourism. The delegation also highlights the increase in young visitors, who now represent 22% of all German tourists, which translates into new loyal customers for the island, thanks in part to the high rate of repeat visitors (66%).
The councilor pointed out that Gran Canaria is the preferred destination for Germans, despite having a smaller market with fewer customers, but those who remain loyal to our destination are the island that best maintains the volume and revenue of this market. Three out of every ten Germans in the Canary Islands chose our island, and in this process, we are achieving a generational shift, with more young customers seeking different experiences. The island's gastronomy is also emerging strongly among the motivations of these customers, with 38% highlighting it as one of their main interests.”
The island maintains its strength in the German market, second in both volume and revenue, which accounts for 20% of Gran Canaria's total tourism income. This performance occurs within a context marked by political and financial uncertainty in Germany, restrained traveler spending, and the fact that the country has not yet recovered its pre-pandemic total departure volume.
Despite this, the data confirms a clear reality: the loyalty of German tourists to Gran Canaria remains solid and constant.
During 2025, the island received a total of 918.818 German tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 5,41% compared to 2024, when 903.023 visitors were recorded. In fact, three out of every ten German tourists who traveled to the Canary Islands chose Gran Canaria.
This result places 2025 as the fourth best year in history for German tourist arrivals, only surpassed by 2017 (historic record with 1.011.968 arrivals), 2018 (978.759) and 2016 (959.211)
In economic terms, German tourists generated a total of €1.342.032.877 in 2025, the second-highest figure in the historical record, surpassed only by the record set in 2024 (€1.370.058.379). This volume represents 20% of the destination's total revenue, solidifying the German market as one of the main drivers of tourism wealth on the island.
The average expenditure per tourist per trip was €1.602,65, significantly higher than the overall average for the destination (€1.438,58). Furthermore, German tourists stand out for their long average stay of 10,68 days, placing them among the markets with the longest stays, along with the Nordic countries. Spending on accommodation reached €770 million, representing a 0,58% increase compared to 2024.
The data supports the strategy of prioritizing profitability over uncontrolled volume growth. Gran Canaria thus maintains its commitment to a sustainable model that combines customer loyalty, high spending power, and territorial distribution of revenue.
Strengthening the complementary product — gastronomy, active tourism, nature and the island's interior — continues to be one of the keys to increasing revenue and diversifying the economic impact beyond the traditional areas.
Looking ahead to the 2026 summer season, the destination is showing very positive indicators. Of particular note is the 14% increase in early bookings made during October and November, which suggests a strong summer for the German market. Tourism professionals in Gran Canaria are confident that this anticipated growth in demand will consolidate the positive trend in the coming months, further supported by air connectivity and the busy professional agenda developed in Berlin.
Regarding the profile of the German customer in Gran Canaria, the increase in the age range between 16 and 32 years stands out, reaching 22% of visitors.
