In September, 1.3 million tourists were recorded, a decrease of 2.4 percent compared to the same month last year. In absolute terms, this represents 33,637 fewer tourists. These figures come from the Statistics on Tourist Movements at Borders, compiled by the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC).
Out of every 10 tourists who arrived in the Canary Islands, 8.6 were from abroad, a sector that decreased by 0.7 percent compared to the previous year. Tourism from residents in Spain also declined, by 11.8%.
The United Kingdom remains the most important source market, contributing 37.8 percent of the total tourists (508,120 people). Residents from the rest of Spain and Germany contributed 14.3% and 12.9% of tourists, respectively.
Tenerife received the highest number of tourists with 538,409, accounting for 4 out of every 10 tourists. It is followed by Gran Canaria (24%) and Lanzarote (19%).
65% of tourists stayed between 1 and 7 nights, while only 0.7% extended their stay for more than 31 days. The main reason for travel was vacation.
A 48 percent of tourists arrived with a pre-booked package tour, which includes at least transport and accommodation at an indivisible price.
Hotels and apartments continue to be the preferred accommodations, hosting 84 percent of tourists.
