Pope Leo XIV yesterday commenced the first ever papal visit to the Canary Islands with a hard-hitting speech about migration.

At the port of Arguineguin in Gran Canaria, Pope Leo listened to the testimony of a Nigerian trafficking victim, a Latin-American migrant, a Caritas volunteer and a Spanish Maritime Rescue captain, before beginning his address.

Pope Leo urged governments to create “legal and safe pathways, rescue and assistance, real cooperation against traffickers, effective protection for victims, serious processes of reception and integration, and policies that allow every person to live with dignity in their own land.”

“Each boat that arrives not only brings migrants; it brings a question: what kind of world have we built, if so many brothers must risk death to seek life?”.

Pope Leo had harsh words for Europe, saying “it cannot proclaim human dignity and become accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic being cemeteries without tombstones.”

Leo also attacked the causes of migration, saying “While there is a right to seek refuge when life is threatened, there is also a right not to have to migrate: the right to remain in one’s own home without hunger, war, persecution, violence, the earth becoming uninhabitable, corruption stealing the bread of the poor or weapons destroying the future of children”. 

He ended with a warning: “Here, by the sea, every life that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity. Sooner or later, it will be known whether we knew how to protect it, or if we let indifference speak for us.” 

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A growing shortage of available rental housing continues to put pressure on tenants across Spain, with new figures showing that nearly one in five rental properties in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria are being snapped up within a single day of being advertised.

According to a study by idealista, 18% of homes rented through its platform during the first quarter of 2026 in the province of Las Palmas (which includes Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria) remained on the market for less than 24 hours. The figure is slightly lower than the 19% recorded during the same period in 2025, but remains above the national average of 16%.

Barcelona Province Tops the Ranking

The highest proportion of so-called “express rentals” was recorded in Barcelona, where 34% of rented properties found tenants within a day. It was followed by Guipúzcoa and Guadalajara (31% each), Tarragona (26%), and Huesca (25%).

Other areas exceeding the 20% mark included Álava, Vizcaya and Zamora (24%), Navarra and the Balearic Islands (23%), and Lleida, La Rioja and Palencia (22%). Huelva reached 21%, while Soria, Girona and Zaragoza all recorded 20%.

At the other end of the scale, Teruel was the only area where no express rentals were registered, followed by León (5%) and Salamanca (6%).

San Sebastián Leads Among Cities

Looking at Spain’s major cities, San Sebastián recorded the highest share of rentals completed within 24 hours, at 40%. Barcelona followed with 39%, while Girona reached 33%.

Tarragona, Huesca and Palencia each recorded 30%, ahead of Guadalajara (29%), Palma (26%), Vitoria (24%), Bilbao (23%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (22%). A Coruña, Pamplona and Logroño all stood at 21%.

Among Spain’s largest rental markets, Seville and Valencia saw the highest incidence of express rentals, with 13% of properties let within a day. They were followed by Alicante (11%), Madrid (10%) and Málaga (10%).

Meanwhile, Ceuta, Melilla and Teruel were the only cities where no express rentals were recorded during the first quarter of the year. León and Ciudad Real registered the lowest figures among the remaining cities, with just 4% of rentals agreed within 24 hours.

The data highlights the continued demand for rental accommodation in many parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands, where competition for available homes remains intense despite a slight year-on-year decline in the proportion of properties rented almost immediately.

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Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to land at Gran Canaria airport at 10.50 today, as his short tour of Spain comes to an end with a visit to the Canaries. It is the first time that a Pope has visited the islands.

On arrival, Pope Leo will head straight for the port of Arguineguín, where he will meet staff involved with the reception of migrants on the Canarian route.

He will then travel to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he will meet bishops, priests and other church personnel at the Cathedral de Santa Ana.

At 6.30, a large public mass will be held at the Las Palmas football stadium.

The Pope will then spend the night in the Gran Canarian capital before flying to Tenerife tomorrow morning.  

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The Canary Islands are adding final touches to the preparations for the visit of Pope Leo XIV next week.

After visiting Madrid and Barcelona, the Pope will finish his tour of Spain by arriving at Gran Canaria on Thursday, 11^th June. His first act will be to visit the harbour at Argeneguín, where he will highlight the tragedy of the Canarian migrant route.

He will then meet local bishops and priests at the Cathedral of Santa Ana in Las Palmas at 1.30, and will carry out a public mass at the city’s football stadium at 6.30 pm.

On Friday 12^th, the Pope will fly to Tenerife, where he will spend the morning visiting a migrant centre and meeting migrants before giving another public mass in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 12.15. He will then fly back to the Vatican.

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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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Lagardère Travel Retail has opened the first-ever Greggs airport store outside the UK, bringing the popular British bakery chain to Tenerife South Airport in the Canary Islands.

Photos: Lagardère Travel Retail

The opening at the start of this month marks the beginning of a partnership between Lagardère Travel Retail and Greggs as the food-to-go giant looks to expand its presence in international travel hubs.

The new 197-square-metre outlet is located airside in Terminal A, next to passport control, serving one of the airport’s busiest departure areas. Travellers can enjoy Greggs favourites, including its iconic sausage roll, alongside menu options adapted for local tastes and the airport environment.

Founded in north-east England 85 years ago, Greggs has grown into one of the UK’s most recognisable food brands, operating more than 2,500 stores and generating annual revenues exceeding £2 billion.

Tenerife South Airport welcomed more than 14 million passengers in 2025, with around 5.5 million British travellers passing through its terminals, making them the airport’s largest passenger group.

Explaining the decision, Lagardère Travel Retail said the move was inspired by the appeal of offering travellers “something they already know and love”. The company noted that Greggs’ reputation for freshly prepared food, value for money and its famous sausage rolls makes it a natural fit for an airport serving such a large number of British visitors.

The retailer added that for many passengers, Greggs provides more than just a quick meal before a flight, offering a familiar taste of home before boarding.

The opening is being seen as an example of how airports are increasingly tailoring their retail and dining options to the preferences of their largest passenger groups.

Question for our readers: If Greggs can find a successful home at Tenerife South Airport, would you like to see a Greggs open at Lanzarote Airport too?

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A scientific study has shown how the geographical nature of the Canary Islands dictated the diet of the original natives of the islands.

Photo: HOLA ISLAS CANARIAS

The study, by scientists from the Universities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Burgos, has shown marked differences between the diets of natives of the western and eastern islands.

While those on the greener western islands lived mainly on crops and livestock, the Mahos on the flatter, drier eastern islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were forced to supplement their diet with seafood to a much greater extent.

Bone analysis of 457 skeletons dating from the 1^st to the 15^th centuries also showed that natives of the eastern islands ate animals from higher up in the food chain, such as seabirds and seals.

The western islands have always been greener and more fertile than the eastern islands due to their height, which regularly exceeds 1,500 metres. This traps clouds and moisture, leading to greater vegetation and the possibility of pasturing for livestock.

The study seems to be borne out by sites such as the Peña de Las Cucharas-Fiquinineo near Famara (pictured above), where countless limpet shells can still be seen.

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The Canaries made global headlines last month after passengers and crew on the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship that had been stricken by an outbreak of hantavirus, were successfully evacuated in Tenerife in an operation that caused a bitter breach between Spanish and Canarian authorities.

The MV Hondius left Argentina on March 20th, for a cruise that would take in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha. On April 12th, a Dutch passenger died, and his body was taken to the island of Santa Elena. His wife also died later after being transported to a South African hospital.

A British passenger was later evacuated in South Africa and diagnosed with a hantavirus variant that is transmissible between humans. Afterwards, a German passenger also died, and two crew members suffering from respiratory problems were evacuated by helicopter.

When the cruiser proposed sailing to Tenerife for evacuation on the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organisation), Canarian President Fernando Clavijo refused, saying the proposal was “absolutely out of the question.”

However, the Spanish government overruled the regional government, authorising the Hondius to moor off Granadilla, Tenerife’s largest industrial port, for evacuationto the Tenerife Sur airport ten kilometres away.

On Sunday 10th and Monday 11th of May, 122 passengers and crew on the Hondius were evacuated from the ship and flown to their respective countries, before the cruiser departed for the Netherlands with 26 crew members. Two further passengers, a French woman and an American man, subsequently tested positive for the virus. Messages of support and gratitude for Spain’s actions were received from the EU and Pope Leo XIV, who also praised the “welcome of the Canarian people”. Pope Leo will visit Gran Canaria and Tenerife for a pre-arranged visit on the 10th and 11th of this month.

But Spain’s Health Minister, Mónica García, was not so warm in her comments regarding the Canarian President. García criticised Clavijo’s refusal to appear at the evacuation, and Health Ministry sources called him “irresponsible” after Clavijo sent a WhatsApp in which AI sources claimed that rats could possibly swim ashore from the cruiser.

The Spanish government’s decision to overrule the Canarian executive has also been described as “colonialist” by government representatives.

Although the risk of further hantavirus contagion has been described as “very low” by the WHO, memories of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic are still fresh. The first two cases of coronavirus in Spain were detected on the Canarian Island of La Gomera in January 2020, and 1,000 guests and staff were quarantined in a hotel in Tenerife the following month.

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The Canary Islands are strengthening ties with the Czech tourism sector as part of its strategy to diversify visitor markets and attract higher-value travellers to the islands.

The initiative includes a trade fair being held in Prague and Brno in collaboration with tour operator Canaria Travel. The event was opened in Prague by the Canary Islands’ Minister for Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León.

Representatives from La Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife are attending alongside a dozen tourism companies from the archipelago. Meetings are being held with Czech travel agencies, tour operators and tourism professionals specialising in sectors including family holidays, nature and active tourism, cultural and gastronomic travel, LGTBIQ+ tourism and premium experiences.

De León said Czech visitors are particularly interested in “authentic experiences” and tend to explore the islands independently, with hiking and outdoor activities especially popular.

Czech tourism to the Canary Islands reached a record high in 2024, with 165,000 visitors. Tenerife received the largest share at 52.6%, followed by Fuerteventura with 20.7%, Gran Canaria with 16%, Lanzarote with 10%, and La Palma with 0.48%.

According to the Regional Ministry, the Czech economy is currently benefiting from lower inflation, low unemployment and a stable currency, encouraging more overseas travel, particularly to warm winter destinations such as the Canary Islands.

Czech tourists visiting the islands are generally younger than the average visitor, with an average age of 39.5 compared with 47.5 overall. They also tend to book at shorter notice, with a third reserving trips less than a month before departure.

Visitors from the Czech Republic stay an average of 9.1 days and spend around €1,453 per trip. Around 26% travel with children, while 34% choose four-star accommodation.

The market is also noted for its high levels of independent exploration, with 70% travelling around the islands on their own, compared with an average of 49%. Hiking is popular among 48% of Czech visitors, while 28% visit leisure parks.

Satisfaction levels are also high, with Czech tourists rating their Canary Islands holidays at 8.95 out of 10. Some 61% said their experience was better than expected.

Alongside the trade fair, officials from Turismo de Islas Canarias are also holding meetings with representatives from the Czech Ministry of Regional Development, the Czech National Tourist Board, Prague City Tourism and the Association of Czech Travel Agencies to discuss future cooperation strategies.

The event includes audiovisual presentations, wine tastings, Canarian food experiences and promotional prize draws aimed at increasing awareness of the islands among Czech travel professionals.

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The Canaries experienced the largest earth tremor of the last five years at 9.50 am on Friday morning.

The 4.8 magnitude quake occurred beneath the sea 123 miles from the southern tip of Lanzarote, about 60 kilometres north of Gran Canaria, and was felt by people on Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.

Three smaller aftershocks followed the main tremor, although these were not felt by the general public.

Earthquakes of this magnitude cause people to feel light trembling or swaying, and noticeable shaking of many objects.

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