The trends in the tourism sector in southern Gran Canaria reflect a shift in the origin of its cash flow. The sector's balance sheet for foreign passengers in April shows a 7,32% contraction in monthly demand, with 319.046 arrivals compared to 344.241 in the same period of the previous year. This monthly slowdown has dampened the enthusiasm of the hotel industry in San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán, although the year-to-date total for the first four months remains positive with a flat increase of 0,80% and a total of 1.584.392 international visitors.
Germany is at the heart of the biggest drop in tourism volume for businesses in the south of the island. The German market, traditionally a driver of profitability for the midlands and coastal areas of Gran Canaria, suffered a 14,45% collapse in April, losing 14.402 passengers in a single month to close with 85.266 arrivals. This monthly decline in German airlines reflects the chronic negative performance of this source market in the first four months of the year, with the cumulative total falling by 3,68% and losing more than 15.000 tourists compared to the start of 2025, reaching 398.553 versus the previous 413.772. The emptying of air seats in Berlin and Frankfurt contrasts with the resilience of UK tour operators, who lead the season's table with 88.539 monthly travelers (0,70% more) and boost their annual total by 8,43%, injecting 347.773 British tourists into the consolidated balance.
The decline in Nordic tourism is highlighting signs of fatigue in the destination's traditional high-spending markets. Norway registered a 26,53% drop in April with 13.364 passengers, dragging down a 2,55% loss year-to-date to 139.847 arrivals. Sweden mirrored this adverse trend with a monthly decrease of 19,88% (11.531 tourists) and a four-month decline of 9,90%, reaching 96.538 Swedish visitors. The weakness of the Scandinavian regions is further evidenced by the sharp contraction in Denmark, a market that plummeted 30,08% in April with 8.597 travelers and fell 9,16% year-to-date to a total of 83.956 Danish visitors. Italy also sounds the alarm, with a 29,87% drop in the month's statistics (8.271 passengers), dragging its annualized balance down to a negative variation of 11,23% with 55.233 arrivals.
Geographic diversification is mitigating the losses of German and Nordic operators by activating secondary markets in continental Europe. France is emerging as the fastest-growing source market this season, registering a 22,27% increase in April (10.640 travelers) and consolidating a cumulative rise of 32,24%, bringing its annual contribution to 46.575 passengers. The Netherlands confirms its affinity for southern resorts with 29.421 customers in April, a 12,95% increase, bolstering a 7,42% year-on-year rise in connections that places the Benelux country third in the ranking with 104.454 tourists. Belgium supports this summer growth trend, increasing its April figures by 16,94% to 11.222 Belgians, softening the decline in its year-to-date total to 36.494 passengers (a 3,17% decrease).
The performance of the Central European and Irish markets shows mixed results, forcing hotel chains to reconfigure their acquisition strategies. Ireland remains stable, declining by just 1,05% month-on-month with 9.337 arrivals, maintaining a 5,83% increase in the first four months with a total of 44.835 Irish visitors. Austria registers strong dynamism in its air operations with a 29,23% increase in April (5.434 passengers) and a cumulative increase of 14,55%, totaling 23.092 Austrians. Poland, on the other hand, saw a 9,35% decrease in the monthly figure with 4.450 Polish visitors but maintains a notable expansion of 18,23% in the annualized balance with 32.582 customers.
The bottom positions in the official ranking confirm the stagnation of flows from the north and the stability in southern Europe. Finland suffered a sharp decline of 35,65% in the April statistics, contributing only 3.615 passengers for the month and reducing its cumulative total by 4,24% to 54.188 Finnish visitors. Switzerland and Portugal operate at the opposite end of the spectrum with flat performance in terms of destination loyalty; the Swiss market saw a slight increase of 0,47% for the month (8.252 tourists) and 1,66% year-on-year (27.028 Swiss), while the Portuguese market mirrored its previous figures with a monthly increase of 0,96% (4.838 Portuguese) and a four-month increase of 2,88% (12.104 passengers). The North African market, represented by Morocco, saw a 6,14% monthly decrease with 6.084 arrivals, but maintained a positive year-to-date balance of 3,13% with 20.152 passengers. Luxembourg closed out the official rankings with 2.477 monthly travelers (down 1,39%) and a 4,37% increase in its cumulative total of 8.438 tourists. The remaining minority origins, grouped under the heading "other countries," experienced an 18,56% monthly decrease with 7.708 visitors, but still showed a positive year-to-date trend of 6,74% with an additional 52.550 visitors.
