The Canary Islands recorded their first significant decline in foreign tourist arrivals in five years during April, according to figures released by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).
A total of 1,214,347 international visitors arrived in the Canary Islands during April, representing an 8.3% decrease compared with April 2025. Tourist spending also fell, dropping 6.8% year-on-year to €1.796 billion.
In Lanzarote, signs of a slowdown had already emerged in March, when the island welcomed 3.7% fewer tourists than during the same month last year.
The April decline marks the first notable monthly fall in foreign visitor numbers since March 2021. Since then, the Canary Islands had enjoyed 60 consecutive months of growth, interrupted only by marginal decreases in September and December 2025, when arrivals slipped by just 0.02% and 0.09%, respectively.
Tourism revenue had followed a similar pattern, increasing almost continuously over the same period. The only exceptions were minor declines in December 2025 (-0.6%) and February 2026 (-1.62%).
Visitor Numbers Stable
Despite the April setback, the cumulative figures for the first four months of 2026 remain broadly in line with the record levels achieved in 2025. Between January and April, the Canary Islands received 5,696,844 foreign tourists, a modest 0.2% increase compared with the same period last year.
The reduction in tourism income during April was influenced not only by fewer arrivals but also by shorter stays. The average length of stay fell to 8.1 nights, a 6.1% decrease compared with April 2025.
Tourists Spending
Although overall revenue declined, individual tourists spent slightly more during their visits. Average expenditure per visitor rose 1.7% year-on-year to €1,497.
Daily spending increased even more sharply, climbing 8.3% to an average of €182 per person per day.
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