Gran Canaria tourism is closely watching the final of this playoff, especially in the south of the island, where each matchday brings with it impacts on occupancy, consumption, and connectivity.
Although the season has already ended in Gran Canaria with the relegation of Unión Deportiva Las Palmas to LaLiga Hypermotion, the tourism sector in the south of the island and the capital is keeping an eye on the LaLiga EA Sports promotion playoff, which began this weekend.
The reason? To find out the final list of the 21 teams that will visit Gran Canaria, along with a horde of fans who will spend the night, shop, and tour the island.
A few weeks ago we addressed Maspalomas24h The benefits for Maspalomas of UD Las Palmas' relegation, with the reduction in ticket prices and the greater support mobilized by the "lower" teams in Spanish football; so, with this in mind, which teams are interested in the tourism sector staying in LaLiga Hypermotion to visit Gran Canaria next season?
After the first round, Real Oviedo and humble Mirandés will battle for the last spot in the EA Sports LaLiga with a two-legged final kicking off this Saturday. Racing de Santander and UD Almería were the victims of the two finalists, who displayed a clear superiority in both ties.
Among the eliminated teams, the most interesting case for tourism interests was Racing Santander. With five weekly connections between the Cantabrian capital and Gran Canaria on flights operated by Binter, it is the destination with the highest number of flights to the island during these playoffs.
Furthermore, these connections allow for all possible dates of a light journey, with arrivals on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (except Saturday) and departures on Sundays and Mondays. The proximity to Bilbao (which has direct daily connections to Gran Canaria) provides more options for Racing fans.
Racing de Santander also has a significant following. With 17.553 season ticket holders and 1.431 supporters, the club has a total of 18.984 fans affiliated with the club, not counting all those who follow the team without being affiliated with the club.
The club's history also suggests that Racing fans will be involved in the team's transfers after coming close to promotion this year. In this century, the club has had a roller coaster of experiences: it has gone through all three tiers of Spanish football, has competed in European competitions, and has even left a historical image by standing up and not playing a Copa del Rey match at El Sardinero against Real Sociedad as a protest against the board of directors.
For its part, Almería has two direct weekly connections with Gran Canaria operated by Binter. Like Racing de Santander, UD Almería has a membership of 15.000 and a squad led by the league's top scorer, Luis Suárez; this suggests that the Almería fans will rally behind the team in their quest for promotion in the 2025/26 season.
Returning to the finalists, Real Oviedo is the fifth-largest club in the category, with a total of 20.579 members. Like Almería, the city has two weekly connections to Gran Canaria with flights operated by Volotea.
So, which team's success would "benefit" southern Gran Canaria? None other than the promotion of the "Cinderella" of these promotion playoffs: CD Mirandés. Unlike the other teams, Mirandés has a membership of just under 4.000, the second smallest in the division.
The team is part of the history of Spanish football after a 2012 Copa del Rey triumph in which the humble club (then playing in the Second Division B) reached the semifinals of the competition, earning the recognition and affection of fans across the country.
However, the Miranda de Ebro club doesn't enjoy significant support during its away matches. This is partly due to the limited air connections between Burgos and other national destinations, which limits the options available for fans who want to follow the team by train, bus, or car.
In southern Gran Canaria, the "romanticism" that always exists in those stories of humble teams achieving great feats is being embraced, and the preference for this playoff is for the Anduva club to be promoted and leave its place in the Second Division so that the Oviedo fans can enjoy the benefits of southern Gran Canaria for another year.
