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The south of Gran Canaria has undoubtedly been the main protagonist of the Canary Islands at Fitur 2025, consolidating itself as the economic engine of the archipelago. Maspalomas, with its incomparable tourist offer, has captured the attention of professionals in the sector by demonstrating that the sustainable development model promoted by Gran Canaria is the key to maintaining balanced and profitable growth. While other islands seek to diversify their offer, the south of Gran Canaria remains the benchmark for its ability to attract tourists with high purchasing power, for its excellent air connectivity and for a complementary offer that goes beyond sun and beach, betting on unique experiences that include gastronomy, culture and nature. This leadership not only highlights the importance of the south of the island in regional tourism, but also demonstrates its ability to adapt to global trends in the sector, ensuring its position as the main destination.
The island's growth is not only measured by the volume of tourists, but by its ability to generate income in a responsible and sustainable way. Gran Canaria closed 2024 with nearly 4,7 million tourists, an increase on 2017 records, and a year-on-year growth in turnover of 20%, reaching the historic figure of 5.459 million euros. This result reaffirms the Cabildo's strategy of betting on a tourist quality that prioritizes spending over an excessive growth in visitors.
Air connectivity, one of the pillars of this policy, was also highlighted as a key factor. With direct flights from 26 national airports, the island has seen an 11,52% increase in seats for the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, which significantly increases the accessibility of the destination. This increase in connectivity, which is also reflected in the inclusion of new cities such as Córdoba, Valencia, Almería and Badajoz in the flight network, confirms that Gran Canaria remains the main gateway.
The island has managed to maintain a stable hotel occupancy rate of between 80% and 90%, without the need for new hotel developments in the last 15 years, a factor that reinforces the sustainability of the tourism model. The strategy seems to be bearing fruit, and Carlos Álamo, Tourism Councillor of Gran Canaria, optimistically underlined that the outlook for 2025 is equally positive, with moderate and sustained growth. In a panorama where other Canarian destinations are still trying to find their way in the tourism sector, Maspalomas and the rest of the south of Gran Canaria remain the economic epicentre of the archipelago, defending a model that looks to the future with a clear commitment to quality, sustainability and diversification. Meanwhile, the rest of the islands continue to look for formulas to replicate this success, without achieving solidity.
