The Canary Islands recorded its first significant fall in foreign tourism since the end of the pandemic this April (2026), with more than 110,000 fewer international visitors arriving compared to the same month last year.

According to the latest Frontur figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the islands welcomed 1.21 million foreign tourists in April, representing a drop of 8.3% year-on-year. It marks the first notable decrease in international tourism to the Canaries since October 2019, excluding the pandemic shutdown period.

The Canary Islands was also the only major tourist destination in Spain to register negative figures during the month of April.

Economic Uncertainty Behind the Decline

Tourism experts point to growing international uncertainty as one of the key reasons behind the slowdown, including the economic situation in Germany and the UK, traditionally the two biggest source markets for the islands. Ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving Iran, are also believed to be affecting travel confidence.

Although some analysts suggested that the timing of Easter may have influenced the April figures this year, the same calendar effect did not negatively impact tourism numbers in 2025, when visitor numbers actually rose by almost 12% despite Easter also falling partly in March.

German and Scandinavian Markets Hit Hardest

The German market suffered one of the steepest declines, with arrivals falling by 13.5% compared to April 2025. A total of 225,526 German tourists visited the Canary Islands during the month, around 35,000 fewer than a year earlier.

The British market remained comparatively stable, although UK visitor numbers still dipped slightly by 1.2%, equivalent to just over 6,000 fewer tourists. Despite the fall, British travellers continued to dominate overall arrivals, with more than 506,000 visitors from the UK.

Several smaller European markets saw even sharper percentage drops, including:

• Italy: -14.5%
• Denmark: -30%
• Finland: -38.4%
• Sweden: -29.2%

Tourist Spending Also Fell

The decrease in visitor numbers also led to lower overall tourist spending across the islands. International tourists spent a total of €1.796 billion in April, down 6.8% compared to the same period last year.

However, average daily spending per tourist actually increased by 8.3%, reaching €182 per person per day. At the same time, the average holiday duration shortened slightly to 8.1 days.

Tourism Authorities Monitoring the Situation

Jessica de León, the Canary Islands’ regional tourism minister, recently said the government is closely monitoring the sector as uncertainty continues across Europe.

She noted that many tourists are now booking holidays much later than before, although she insisted that demand for the Canary Islands “remains stable and solid”. However, she also acknowledged that economic pressures on middle-class families in countries such as the UK and Germany are beginning to affect holiday decisions.

Despite April’s setback, the Canary Islands still remains slightly ahead overall for 2026, with total foreign arrivals for the year currently standing at 5.69 million visitors — around 10,000 more than the same period in 2025.

The coming summer months are now expected to provide a clearer picture of whether April’s decline was temporary or the beginning of a wider slowdown in the islands’ record-breaking tourism growth.