The island tourist destination increases its lodging revenue by 9,25% year-on-year with a 3% decrease in the number of overnight stays.
The Tourism Minister predicts a higher increase for the month of April, taking into account the Easter holiday.
The tourist destination of Gran Canaria welcomed 428.325 foreign passengers last March, a figure that practically equals (-0,47) the number of arrivals from the previous year, with 2024 arrivals in March 430.157, which, unlike this year, benefited from the positive factor of the Easter holidays. However, accommodation revenue increased by 9,25% year-on-year, bringing the best figure in this parameter to €179.664.469,36. For this reason, the regional minister expressed satisfaction with March's performance and expressed positive expectations for April.
“Pending the release of national customer data, March's performance is already among the best in the historical series for this month, especially in terms of revenue. In this regard, the improvement in destination quality achieved by the sector in recent years, supported by the investment in infrastructure and product enhancement we are currently undertaking, stands out. This has allowed us to raise prices, and customer response indicates that it has been proportionate and adjusted to the current market. With all this, we are achieving a higher economic return with the same number of visitors as last year,” stated Carlos Álamo, Councilor for Tourism of the Gran Canaria Island Council.
"For April, the forecast is for growth, as we're counting on the Easter holiday and a 16% increase in connectivity spaces, so we expect an increase in revenue. We're also relying on a slight increase in the number of days spent, which for foreign tourists is 0,59% and 17,5% for domestic tourists," the councilor added.
Year-to-date, Gran Canaria has welcomed a total of 1.227.575 foreign passengers, a 0,74% increase compared to the first three months of the previous year.
The number of overnight stays decreased by 3% compared to March 2024 due to the impact of Easter. The room occupancy rate was 86.68% and 73% for total available beds. Cumulative occupancy for the first quarter was 88,96% per room and 75% for total beds.
Among the market trends, the increase in Italian tourists stands out, with a year-on-year increase of 38,47%, thanks to the arrival of 18.444 passengers. The largest number of visitors was German, once again, with 116.335 arrivals, 6,35% more than in 2024. British visitors fell slightly, by 2%, as did Norwegian visitors, by 4,45%, as part of their usual seasonal behavior. Meanwhile, positive performance has been detected among visitors from Eastern Europe.
Regarding employment volume, the figures continue on a positive path, with a 3,3% increase in Social Security registrations and a 5,6% increase in the number of contracts linked to the tourism sector.
