Gran Canaria confirms its projection for 2025 at Fitur with strong support from national tourism

 

The Gran Canaria delegation, led by President Antonio Morales and Councillor Carlos Álamo, confirmed during the first day of the International Tourism Fair, Fitur 2025, held this Wednesday, January 22, in Madrid, the good moment of the island destination and that the positive trend of the national market in total income experienced during the year 2024, with a moderate increase of 5% in volume and higher in both billing and expenditure, pending the final data being made public with the end of the year, will continue during 2025. Morales highlighted the commitment to a sustainable tourism model.

  

Gran Canaria closed the year with almost four million foreign passengers, according to data from Aena, with an increase of 7,8% over 2023. The forecast handled by the Tourism Department of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria for the end of the year advances a figure close to 4,7 million clients, with a slight increase over the current record dating back to 2017, which was 4.587.000 tourists. This record is accompanied by a new record in turnover, since the historical data of the previous year are exceeded, which ended with 5.459 million euros, with a year-on-year increase of 20% and 25% over 2019. The increase in total income from accommodation is 13,31% compared to 2023. All accommodation indicators are on the rise over 2023, both rates, income and occupancy per place at record levels. Meanwhile, in relation to the national market, the customer arrival figures for 2019 have not yet been surpassed. In the year-on-year comparison, the growth is 5% and exceeds all previous records in billing, with an increase of 5,24%, and an expenditure that stands at 803,41 euros per trip and 142,24 euros per day.

 

“The data from the tourist destination of Gran Canaria confirm the policy undertaken by the Cabildo in recent years,” said Antonio Morales, who considered the commitment to turnover and expenditure, as priorities over volume, to be correct. “We have opted for a sustainable tourism model, based on increasing turnover and expenditure as an absolute priority. We are committed to increasing customer performance in the destination and we have said, for several years now, that the arrival of customers cannot be the only criterion to determine the success or failure of a season. Nor can the commitment to continuous growth, which is unsustainable,” explained the president of Gran Canaria. 

 

Morales stated that “we have recovered the figures from 2019 and have increased our turnover by 20%, around 9% on average per person who visits us. We have embarked on the path of sustainability in our main industry and we will continue to work along these lines, improving the infrastructure, services and equipment for a quality offer, but also betting on a sustainable model of growth in which competitiveness and our international positioning have to do with the care and conservation of the natural environment and with the growth of the positive effects that this industry generates for society as a whole. We are very satisfied because this industry remains a powerful element of our development, in economic terms and also in conservation, factors that will be important to face the challenges of the future.” 

 

 

 

For his part, the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Álamo, with a technical agenda of meetings with more than 60 appointments in the first two days, explained that “we have confirmed the interest of the national client and, honestly, I think we are in luck, since it ensures that we continue to grow in turnover without having to resort to an increase in volume and put the island's capacity at risk. The occupancy throughout the year is around 80% to 90% and, taking into account that no new hotels have been built for 15 years, we are far from overloading the island. In reality we already had a first idea regarding the continuity over time of this trend, but we wanted to confirm it with the industry at Fitur, as we have done. Our commitment will continue with the objectives and priorities set, in addition to having new elements, such as the gastronomic offer, to distribute the wealth generated by this industry throughout the island and benefit professional sectors that did not previously have this strength.” 

 

The councillor stated that in all the meetings held the same positive concepts are repeated, in the great interest of agencies, tour operators and other professionals in Gran Canaria. Therefore, “we have seen that the line of progress that the island is maintaining will continue in 2025 and this is important. After all, tourism is experiencing a peak moment at an international level, which has multiplied the number of travellers. Therefore, our data, with an increase of 9% compared to 2023 and a slight increase on the record of 2017, show a growth that is moderate and sustainable”.

 

Carlos Álamo highlighted the commitment to making the complementary offer visible to the national client, together with the gastronomic offer. “This other Gran Canaria is becoming more and more known. We continue to be a sun and beach destination but in which the complementary product is increasingly important and weighty. There is increasing interest in our natural and architectural heritage, in the offer of the midland municipalities and the northern area. They all have a lot to offer, such as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and its modern and cosmopolitan offer. The cultural and gastronomic heritage have become fundamental attributes to increase turnover and generate economy on the island. Therefore, the data and the forecast that we handle in the different meetings indicate that we are going to have a 2025 at least as good as 2024.  

 

Historical connectivity

One of the keys to the current good performance is in a historic connectivity with the rest of Spain. There are currently 26 national airports with direct flights, which makes travel easier for potential customers, as they can travel from the nearest provincial capital. There are only three airports without a direct connection to Gran Canaria. The figures are very good, with a growth in seats in the national market of 13,2% from April to September, with some 150.000 more seats than in the summer of 2023. The main additions come from Binter Canarias and its development strategy, together with Vueling, Iberia, Ryan Air and Volotea. The national aerodromes that are being added are those of Córdoba, Valencia, Almería and Badajoz. Only Girona, Reus and Castellón remain without a connection.

 

Between January and March, the island will have 608.778 scheduled seats with the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. This represents an increase of 11,52% compared to 2024 and 59.9% over 2019, before the pandemic. Looking ahead to the summer, between April and September, Gran Canaria will have 1.237.524 scheduled seats, with an improvement of 4,1% compared to 2024 and 34,9% over 2019. One of the priorities of this strategy aims to increase the volume of trips outside Madrid and results are already being seen with a 25% increase in flights and passengers outside the Madrid airport.

 

Finally, the Tourism Councillor explained that the profile of the national client has changed slightly in recent years. 60% of them are repeat clients who know us very well because they have come many times and now they want to know about the improvements, our rural and active offer, the novelties of the island's capital. They are clients who already claim to have the gastronomic experience among their main motivations and now we see that they are also clients who are starting to book weekend trips.