The tourism industry in southern Gran Canaria is facing a cyclical shift characterized by the exhaustion of exponential growth . The latest official data published by the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC) for May reveals a stagnation in hotel profitability on the island, a phenomenon that contrasts sharply with the aggressive price increases experienced by other competing destinations in the archipelago, such as Tenerife and Lanzarote . This slowdown in the accommodation sector is beginning to have a direct impact on the job market in San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán , where the signing of new employment contracts has plummeted.
The average daily rate (ADR) per room in Gran Canaria reached €110,49 in May, representing a modest increase of just 1,61% compared to the €108,74 recorded in the same month of the previous year. This figure contrasts sharply with the strong performance of the other islands: Tenerife led the price increases with an 11,01% rise to an average rate of €119,55, followed by Fuerteventura, which saw its rates jump by 8,76%. Gran Canaria's loss of revenue competitiveness also coincides with a slight decline in its occupancy rates, which fell to 59,75%, consolidating the island's position at the bottom of the regional occupancy rankings, ahead only of Fuerteventura and La Palma.
The slowdown in the accommodation sector has impacted the staffing policies of major hotel chains in the south. Companies in the tourism sector formalized a total of 6.564 contracts on the island , representing an 8,41% year-on-year decrease compared to May of the previous year. This decline aligns with the trend of contract stagnation affecting the entire archipelago. Food and beverage services, essential for the leisure area of Playa del Inglés and Meloneras, led the activity with 2.408 new contracts , closely followed by accommodation services, which registered 2.311 contracts.
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Despite the decline in new job creation, the total number of unemployed in the tourism sector in Gran Canaria fell by 3,78% year-on-year, bringing the absolute figure to 11.783 . The hospitality and restaurant industry continues to account for the bulk of job seekers on the island: food and beverage services have 5.744 unemployed , while tourist accommodation has 2.638 people on the unemployment rolls. Land transport, crucial for transferring travelers to the southern resorts, registered 1.026 unemployed compared to the mere 372 contracts signed during the month.
Data from ISTAC confirms that Gran Canaria's accommodation model has entered a phase of margin consolidation, unable to replicate the double-digit increases seen in its neighboring regions. The provincial analysis demonstrates that tourists are willing to accept price increases in destinations with a revamped and luxury-oriented hotel offering, an area where Tenerife has gained a considerable statistical advantage by exceeding the €119 per night mark.
The other side of the coin is once again represented by La Palma, affected by a structural price crisis that plunged its average daily rate to €72,83, registering a 0,40% decline amidst the ongoing process of rebuilding its tourism brand. The "Beautiful Island," however, saw a spectacular 46% increase in its occupancy rate, climbing to 46.59%. For tour operators managing cash flow in Maspalomas hotels, the message from May's statistics is clear: growth based solely on raising room rates has reached its limit, forcing the sector to seek new ways to improve the efficiency of its operating costs.
