The Canary Islands tourism sector has received a major setback. Upon learning that the prestigious American publication Fodor's Travel, as reported by Maspalomas24H,This report, which was also copied without attribution by other mainland and Las Palmas media outlets, places the archipelago in second position among destinations to be "reconsidered" by 2026. Faced with this attack on the brand's core identity, the Minister of Tourism, Jéssica de León, stepped forward on Monday to clarify that overcrowding is not a chronic problem across the entire territory, arguing that islands like La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro are unfairly receiving negative ratings when their reality is far from saturated.
The magazine's argument isn't based on perceptions, but on alarming macroeconomic figures: 7,8 million visitors in the first half of 2025 alone, representing a 5% increase over the previous year. Despite these figures, De León emphasized that the year-end total for 2025 (based on November data) shows a 4% increase in total tourists, but with a key piece of information for the model's survival: spending per tourist per day grew by 8,9% compared to 2024.
Domestic tourism as a shield in southern Gran Canaria. While the international market is receiving warning signs, ISTAC data reveals that the lifeblood of the system remains the loyalty of Canarians themselves. From January to November 2025, Gran Canaria registered a total of 489.193 residents staying on the island, a 5,6% increase that demonstrates that residents continue to choose their home island despite talk of overcrowding. In fact, 59,8% of Canarians who visited Gran Canaria during this period were residents of the island itself, a figure of "self-consumption" that acts as an economic buffer against external crises.
The Regional Ministry's strategy to reverse the image of the Canary Islands as a "stale destination" will involve an offensive at Fitur 2026 (January 21-25). The objective is clear: to recover the domestic market and explain that the Canary Islands are not a monolithic entity. The Regional Minister is committed to campaigns that promote the consumption of local products and respect for protected areas, aiming to make tourists part of the solution, not part of the problem, regarding water scarcity or the infrastructure degradation denounced by Fodor's.
A battle for the narrative: The Canary Islands face a 2026 where they must demonstrate their ability to manage their success. With a net positive balance in domestic tourism—Gran Canaria received 9.947 tourists from other islands in November alone, while only 8.276 residents traveled abroad—Jéssica de León's challenge is to convince the world that the archipelago still has "latitude for life" and that the limit, although a real issue in the social debate, should not be a barrier for the responsible traveler.
