canary islands tourist numbers drop april 2026

Canary Islands tourist numbers fall for first time in seven years

First drop in seven years

The Canary Islands government, business associations and trade bodies had warned it was coming. Now the first blow has landed. Tourist arrivals to the archipelago fell in April for the first time in seven years. Setting aside the pandemic-hit years of 2020 and 2021 – when Covid virtually paralysed tourism – and two tiny dips of just 0.09% and 0.02% in October and December 2025, you have to go back to 2019 for a similar drop in visitor numbers. And this wasn’t a minor setback. The Canary Islands welcomed 8.3% fewer tourists in April than in the same month last year. The loss of visitors was also accompanied by a 6.8% decline in spending.

The figures are particularly striking when compared with the rest of the country. While other regions managed to maintain or increase arrivals, the Canary Islands was the only area to end April in negative territory – a reversal that breaks the sector’s growth trend and signals the first consequences of a complex geopolitical reality. In absolute terms, the downturn translates to 110,332 fewer visitors and a loss of 130 million euros in tourism spending compared to April 2025. In other words, it’s not just a drop in traveller numbers; it also means less revenue for hotels, restaurants, shops and all the businesses that depend on the tourism sector.

German market takes the hit

Although the National Statistics Institute (INE) does not release regional data on where lost tourists come from, the national figures offer a clear clue on where the blow has landed: Germany. The German market, traditionally one of the largest sources of visitors to the Canary Islands – second only to the UK – fell by 9.1% in April alone compared to the same month last year. This stands in contrast to arrivals from the United Kingdom, which rose by 2.7%, and France, which saw a 5.1% increase.

This decline in the German market was also reflected in visitor spending. While tourists from other countries increased their expenditure in Spain, Germany posted the sharpest drop, down 8.7% – 139.5 million euros less. The Nordic countries also tightened their belts, though to a lesser extent, spending 26.8 million euros less, a 3.9% decrease.

German recession and geopolitical tensions

Behind this downturn lies the recession of the German economy. Europe’s industrial powerhouse and largest economy has now endured six years of stagnation. With activity barely growing and massive defence spending on the table, Germany faces an increasingly challenging economic outlook. Added to this is the impact of Trump’s war in Iran and geopolitical tensions, which have once again brought dark clouds over Berlin. Around 6% of Germany’s oil imports come from countries in the Middle East, an exposure that adds uncertainty to a productive sector already under pressure from energy costs. Industries with high energy consumption in Germany account for around 17% of industrial Gross Value Added (GVA) and employ just under one million people.

Growing competition and rising costs

When money is tight, travellers pay closer attention to price. And here, the Canary Islands is facing increasingly stiff competition. Alongside the weakening of some of its main source markets, other factors are at play, such as the growing competitiveness of closer destinations. Morocco, for example, also offers good weather, lower prices and a prime location on Europe’s doorstep. Add to that the rising cost of kerosene – the fuel used by aircraft – driven by tensions arising from the conflict in Iran. A bill that sooner or later ends up reflected in air fares and influences travellers’ decisions.

Spain breaks records, but not in the Canaries

The data published yesterday by the INE also shows that April’s stumble does not come amid a general weakness in Spanish tourism – quite the opposite. Spain continues to break records for both visitor numbers and spending, while the Canary Islands suffers a drop that stands out precisely because it occurs in one of the country’s major tourist powerhouses. Nationwide, spending rose by 7.4% and tourist arrivals increased by 5.2%. That said, the Canary Islands comes to this downturn after a period of very high tourism figures. In the first four months of the year, the regions that received the most tourists were the Canary Islands (5.7 million, up 0.2% on the same period in 2025), Catalonia (5.4 million, up 0.8%) and Andalusia (4.2 million, up 6.3%).

Furthermore, in the first four-month period of the year, the regions with the highest accumulated tourist spending were the Canary Islands (23.8% of the national total despite April’s setback), Catalonia (17.7%) and the Community of Madrid (16.3%).

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