Canary Islands dealt blow as Lanzarote 'abandoned' by German tourists

German visitor numbers have declined by nearly 30,000 in one year in Lanzarote. From January to May 2025, some 146,079 German visitors were recorded in Lanzarote, compared to 174,976 for the period last year.

However, the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC), which released the figures, forecast that visitor numbers would be similar to last summer despite a decline in German visitors. This was largely due to a rise in British visitors, which increased by just under 40,000, despite the mass protests that have swept across the archipelago.

Brits visiting Lanzarote increased from 691,902 to 738,387 for the five-month period year-on-year, as reported in Gazette Life.

Lanzarote performed well overall, with 1.4 million international visitors, which is 46,188 more than the same period in 2024.

Last year the Canary Islands tourism sector expressed worry over the German government's plan to raise the tax on air tickets.

The air traffic tax increase came into effect in May 2024, raising the surcharge for short-haul flights from €12.48 per ticket to €15.53. Nicolás Villalobos, the General Director of the Cordial Group, labelled it as "very bad news".

Christoph Ploss, the government's tourism policy coordinator, said the previous government had made holidays more expensive for Germans. "A well-deserved holiday in Majorca must not become unaffordable," he was quoted in the German newspaper Bild.

According to figures released by the Canary Islands National Statistics Institute (INE), there were strong visitor numbers across the Canary Islands, despite widespread protests.

Locals have complained about the impact of large-scale tourism, such as increased living and housing costs, overwhelmed infrastructure, a loss of cultural identity, and overcrowding.

The islands received 4.36 million international visitors in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 2.1% year over year, reports Euro News.