The rapid growth of the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) is a cause for concern on the island, which is beginning to fear a greater diversification of destinations among traditional markets.
La Arab Aviation Summit 2025 has started in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a clear objective: to consolidate the MENA region as a global tourism and aeronautical giant. A movement that, seen from the Canary Islands, sounds like direct competition in the eternal struggle to attract European tourists.
Saudi Arabia, in full execution of its ambitious Vision 2030, has launched a challenge to world tourism with an investment of 100.000 million in airport infrastructure and airline expansion. His goal is clear: to make Riyadh a global aviation hub, with the ability to receive 330 million passengers annuallyAnd in this equation, European destinations that have traditionally depended on British and German tourism (such as the Canary Islands) may be affected.
One of the key moments of the summit was the presentation of Cloud Bagci, president of the World Tourism Forum Institute, who highlighted the unstoppable rise of tourism in the region. To receive 18 million tourists in 1999, the MENA region has come to attract more than 140 million visitors per year, a figure that could exceed 500 million in 2050Meanwhile, the Canary Islands remain trapped in debates about sustainability and massification, while its direct competitors move forward with well-defined plans.
In this context, air connectivity plays a key role. Airports such as Dubai, Doha and Riyadh are Capturing routes and passengers who previously arrived at traditional European holiday destinations, such as Canary Islands
In addition, the MENA region's commitment to the luxury, cultural and business tourism This gives it an extra appeal that the Canary Islands have not yet managed to fully develop. While mega-hotels are being inaugurated in Riyadh and Dubai, in the Canary Islands the debates on limits to tourism and the demonstrations against overcrowding continue to dominate the headlines.
The big question is: What can the Canary Islands do to avoid being left behind in this new era of global tourism? While the Arab Aviation Summit designs strategies to attract more European visitors, the Canary Islands still lack a real diversification plan that would allow it to compete with these new tourism giants.
