The Canary Island set a new benchmark for international tourism, despite ongoing anti-tourist protests – and holidaymakers from one EU country in particular make up the largest tourist segment
The Canary Islands are still a major holiday hotspot for Europeans despite cries of overcrowding from locals.
According to Spanish publication Canarian Weekly, more than 4.36 million foreign visitors descended on the islands in the first quarter of this year alone – with holidaymakers from one EU country making up the largest segment.
And it appears German tourists cannot seem to get enough of the archipelago’s sunshine and beaches. Euronews reported that Spain remains the top holiday destination for Germans in 2025, with the Canary Islands leading the way with year-round sun.
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The Canaries offer an unusually stable subtropical climate, with daytime temperatures rarely falling below 20C even in January. Gran Canaria is often touted as the hottest, retaining such heat due to its proximity to Northern Africa.
Like Britain, Germans endure cold and snowy conditions from the months of December through to February. Another strong appeal for German travellers is likely the home comforts that can still be enjoyed in places like Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The undeniable abundance of German tourists over the years mean that popular destinations have adapted to offer German-language menus and Bavarian staples. Direct flights from cities like Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin also make travel relatively simple.
Regular departures to the Canaries from Germany also enable spontaneous and cost-effective travel. A flight from Dusseldorf to Lanzarote takes around four hours and 30 minutes, a similar time-scale to planes departing from London.
Germans also have a notorious love of the outdoors and hiking that also makes the Canary Islands particularly appealing. The archipelago is packed with coastal walks and hiking trails, and the laidback lifestyle is ideal for recuperating.
It is certainly no surprise why Germans, Brits and all international travellers return again and again to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. However, the frustration of locals and increasing pressure on the housing market exacerbated by expats and tourists is only mounting.
Ivan Cerdena Molina, an activist within the protest movement and a member of local environmental group ATAN, voiced his frustration that despite the protests, more tourists visited his homeland last year than the year before.
“We had 16 million tourists [in the Canaries] in 2023 and 18 million in 2024. In 2025, the number is increasing again. The government didn’t do anything; it just spoke nice words with no real action.”, reports the Express .
Local governments are also implementing taxes to manage tourism. British holidaymakers heading to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura will soon have to pay a tourist tax. The island’s government has confirmed it will introduce the charge for the wild beach of Cofete, the sand dunes of Correlejo and the sea caves of Ajuy.
The move will follow the example of Tenerife, which has already started charging visitors to the mountain-top village of Masca and intends to do the same with Mount Teide.