With spring just around the corner, southern Gran Canaria is preparing to welcome nearly half a million visitors in May 2026. Forecasts predict a total of 497.205 tourists, slightly above the 495.754 recorded in the same month of 2025.
Growth will be moderate, barely 0,3%, but it will once again confirm a constant of the destination: the strength of the international market versus the volatility of national tourism in areas such as San Bartolomé de Tirajana and its tourist belt of Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas and Meloneras.
The UK market will remain the primary destination. By May 2026, 104.271 tourists from the United Kingdom are expected to arrive, a figure slightly higher than the 103.488 visitors recorded in May 2025, representing a 0,8% increase. The second major market for the destination, Germany, is also projected to grow, rising from 55.364 tourists in 2025 to 58.980 in 2026, a 6,5% increase that reinforces the historical importance of German visitors to the south of the island.
The Netherlands market will also maintain positive growth, with 24.127 tourists projected compared to 23.548 the previous year, representing a 2,5% increase. Within the Nordic region, however, performance will be mixed. While Sweden will register a significant drop—from 4.113 visitors in 2025 to 2.817 in 2026, a decrease of 31,5%—other markets will experience strong growth. This is the case for Denmark, which will grow from 2.592 to 3.326 tourists (+28,3%), and especially for Norway, which will increase from 5.223 to 7.699 visitors, a rise of 47,4%.
The Irish market will continue to gain ground in the destination, with 11.480 tourists expected compared to 9.776 the previous year, representing a 17,4% increase. The flow from Belgium will also grow, rising from 9.467 to 10.755 visitors (+13,6%). In contrast, the Italian market will experience one of the most significant declines of the month: from 12.729 tourists in 2025 to 8.478 in 2026, a 33,4% reduction.
Among Central European countries, Austria will see growth from 3.904 to 4.470 tourists (+14,5%), while France will experience one of the largest increases, rising from 7.527 visitors in May 2025 to 11.754 in 2026, a jump of 56,2%. Conversely, the Swiss market will decline from 10.622 to 9.030 tourists, a drop of 15%.
In Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic market will decline slightly from 1.701 to 1.584 visitors (-6,9%), while Poland will experience strong growth, rising from 1.930 to 3.053 tourists, an increase of 58,2%. The flow from Portugal will decrease slightly—from 5.879 to 5.658 tourists, a drop of 3,8%—while Luxembourg will increase its presence in the destination to 2.247 visitors compared to 1.674 the previous year (+34,2%).
Outside of Europe, the US market will remain relatively stable. Forecasts point to 15.978 visitors in May 2026, compared to 16.408 a year earlier, representing a slight decrease of 2,6%. Overall, the international markets will reach 285.707 tourists, compared to 275.945 in May 2025, representing a growth of 3,5%.
The main decline will come from the domestic market. Tourists from the Iberian Peninsula will fall from 219.809 in May 2025 to 211.498 in May 2026, a 3,8% decrease that will moderate the destination's overall growth.
Overall, the outlook for May confirms the resilience of the tourism model in southern Gran Canaria. With nearly half a million visitors in a single month and a wide diversification of source markets, the destination will continue to rely heavily on its connection with Europe, a link that continues to underpin the island's tourism economy even amidst increasing competition from Mediterranean and Atlantic destinations.
