The Department of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands has highlighted the strategic importance of sports on the islands, estimating its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 4.5%. This percentage translates into an economic impact exceeding 5.7 billion euros. Additionally, more than half of the residents engage in physical exercise weekly, and the archipelago boasts over 211,000 federated licenses.
In this context, the Canary Islands Physical Activity and Sports Fair (ExpoDeca 2026) will hold its third edition from November 12th to 15th at the Plaza de la Música, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This event will serve as a meeting point for key sector stakeholders, including brands, companies, experts, public managers, and entrepreneurs, offering a program for practicing and enjoying sports.
Promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands and organized by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria through Infecar, the fair aims to reflect the sector's growth. Following previous editions in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2024) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2025), this event solidifies the meeting space for the entire Canary Islands sports sector.
A study by the Canary Islands Sports Industry Cluster reveals that approximately 2,600 companies are linked to sports, representing 1.4% of the total registered businesses in the archipelago. The report details that the sector annually generates 2.586 billion euros of the Canary Islands' GDP (4.45%), with a total indirect impact of 5.742 billion euros.
This volume includes contributions from private companies (1.962 billion), federations and clubs (312 million), public administrations (220 million), and sports education (92 million). Impacts in areas such as hospitality, accommodation, sports tourism, retail, transport, and physiotherapy services are also considered.
Directly, the sports industry generated about ten jobs per million euros of GDP in 2024, with a particular focus on youth and female employment. In total, 55,431 direct jobs were created, adding approximately twenty thousand induced jobs, bringing the total to over 66,000 jobs in the sector.
The sector's economic growth also benefits public coffers, with annual tax revenues close to 1.7 billion euros from taxes such as IGIC (390 million), Social Security, and Personal Income Tax (IRPF).
