The Gran Canaria Tourism delegation is participating in fifty professional meetings during the main trade fair in the German market.
“Maintaining and increasing connectivity means strengthening the sustainability of the tourism model and guaranteeing activity throughout the year,” the councilor pointed out.
Gran Canaria is participating this week in ITB Berlin with a schedule of meetings that includes some fifty professional appointments with leading companies, airlines, and tour operators in the German tourism market, the second largest in terms of volume and revenue for 2025. The main conclusion of these meetings is a positive trend and increased interest from German tour operators and online travel agencies (OTAs) for the upcoming summer season, with an initial forecast of 2,1% growth in scheduled airline seats. Therefore, Gran Canaria Tourism is committed to strengthening its various promotional campaigns targeting German customers for the upcoming summer season.
Although the winter of 2025/26 shows a slight contraction after a positive season, forecasts for 2026 point to a scenario of moderate but solid growth in relation to the German market, historically a priority for the Gran Canaria economy. In an international context marked by cost volatility and fleet adjustments, Gran Canaria has managed to maintain and strengthen its competitive position in this market.
In this scenario, given the expected fullness of the winter season and the increase in the volume of early bookings, the interest of the tour operators themselves is focused on the summer period of the island destination, as it presents the only space for growth at present, with an occupancy level in winter that is around 90%.
“It’s not a simple undertaking, since historically this type of tourist has preferred to visit us in winter and tends to choose domestic or nearby European destinations during the summer. However, the interest shown by tour operators and online travel agencies, something that has been repeated in most of the meetings, leads us to reinforce our promotional strategy for next summer,” said Carlos Álamo, the Gran Canaria Tourism Councillor, who led the Gran Canaria delegation at the Berlin trade fair.
He explained that the current international uncertainty in the sector has been a constant theme throughout the first two days of the fair. Therefore, the island destination is focusing on values such as safety and stability, pillars of its international image, along with quality and attracting a higher-spending clientele. He also pointed out that the destination's current situation indicates that "we have very little room for growth in winter, but we do have it in summer, which allows us to move towards a longer season without the exaggerated peaks we experienced previously. Ultimately, the destination's limits and ceiling are determined by the number of beds, an area where we haven't grown in recent decades, which favors a focus on summer. In this regard, we must remember that our strategy is not to incentivize new beds, but rather to invest in renovations and upgrades to higher-quality, more profitable categories to grow in value, quality, and revenue."
The data confirms the strength of the destination in an international environment marked by capacity adjustments, uncertainty, and operational caution on the part of airlines. Gran Canaria's increase for the summer season contrasts with the 5,6% decrease projected for the Canary Islands as a whole, reinforcing the island's leading position within the archipelago.
By summer 2026, Gran Canaria will have regular connections from 12 German airports, recovering strategic routes and maintaining a presence at the country's main hubs. In terms of total seat volume, the island will be the Canary Island destination with the most regular connectivity from Germany. “The projected growth of 2,1% is even more significant because it occurs within a regional context of decline. This demonstrates the market's confidence in Gran Canaria and the ongoing work of promotion, analysis, and cooperation with airlines,” the Tourism Councillor emphasized.
“We place great value on connectivity. Every airline seat we secure is an opportunity for our economy. We're talking about jobs, business for our hotels and apartments, spending in shops and restaurants, transportation, leisure, and services. Connectivity is the gateway to the island's prosperity,” Álamo stated.
The German market represents one of the most stable segments in terms of spending power and loyalty to Gran Canaria, with 66% of visitors being repeat visitors, despite the increase in the 16-32 age group, which has reached 22% of the total in the last fiscal year. This is virtually unprecedented in the destination's recent history. "Maintaining and increasing this connectivity means reinforcing the sustainability of the tourism model and guaranteeing activity throughout the year," the councilor pointed out.
The German market to Gran Canaria is mainly structured around three large groups: the Lufthansa Group (Eurowings and Eurowings Discover), TUI and Condor/Marabu, which concentrate most of the regular traffic.
The Lufthansa Group leads the winter season when its brands are analyzed together, while TUI maintains a prominent position in the summer. Condor's flight volume has decreased, but it remains a long-established operator with significant influence on connectivity to the island.
“Our strategy is clear: to maintain stable and strategic relationships with major international operators. Air stability is synonymous with economic stability for the island,” the island official stated. “Connectivity has ceased to be our Achilles' heel and has become one of our greatest strengths and assets,” Álamo added.
Both tour operators and OTAs (online travel agencies) have expressed positive feelings regarding the upcoming summer. The councilor concluded by stating that “connectivity is not a technical data point, it is an economic policy. Every established route protects jobs, generates opportunities, and strengthens our business sector. We will continue working with planning and a strategic vision so that Gran Canaria continues to lead the German market and guarantee the well-being of its citizens.”
