A stark picture of contrasts emerges in the behavior of the accommodation sector in southern Gran Canaria at the close of the first four months of the year. Official data from the Hotel and Non-Hotel Occupancy Survey reveals a shift in the profile of the visitor who sustains the business in San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán. During April, pending the arrival of May 2026 data, the total number of overnight visitors rose by 6,94% to reach 409.458, a growth that brings the year-to-date total to 1.612.911 tourists, a 3,49% increase. This surge in customer traffic is driven exclusively by the strength of the inter-island Canary Islands market, whose volume of overnight guests skyrocketed by 86,61% in April, offsetting the declines in international and mainland Spanish tourism.
The massive influx of Canary Island residents, who accounted for 80.738 overnight guests in April compared to 43.266 the previous year, has mitigated the impact of the contraction in traditional markets. International tourism, the main financial driver for the southern region's hotel sector, saw a 3,05% decrease in monthly visitor numbers, reaching 296.803. Meanwhile, the domestic market from mainland Spain accentuated its downward trend with a 4,72% drop in overnight guests, a structural weakness reflected in its year-to-date figures, which show a 24,38% plunge with just 103.680 tourists in the first four months of the year.
This shift in demand composition directly impacts hotel companies' operating indicators due to the shorter stays of local customers. The average total stay in the destination fell by 5,16% in April to 6,25 days, driven by the shorter stays of regional tourists (3,04 days) and the decline in visitors from mainland Spain (3,98 days). This decrease resulted in a stagnation of 0,11% in the overall volume of monthly overnight stays, totaling 2.130.856 nights booked. This flat performance is mirrored in the year-to-date total of 9.486.024 overnight stays, 0,37% less than in the previous period.
Despite the reduction in length of stay and the sluggishness of overnight stays, hotel associations in the south of the island are managing to maintain the profitability of their properties through an aggressive pricing strategy. The average daily rate (ADR) climbed 4,93% in April to €137,50 per room, an upward trend that is consolidated in the year-to-date average with a record rate of €147,78, representing a 5,86% increase. This rise in average revenue per room offsets the slight downward adjustment in the room occupancy rate, which fell 3,21% month-on-month to 70,94%, while the occupancy rate per bed remained stable at 65,74% thanks to the higher occupancy density per room resulting from family tourism to the islands.
