Holiday homes are gaining ground in the tourist spots of the Canary Islands, surpassing hotels and flats in terms of increased capacity. From 2022 to 2024, holiday housing accounted for 88% of the bed capacity growth in the 15 most popular island municipalities. Of the 32,693 new beds added, 28,766 came from holiday homes, according to the “Atlas of Municipal Contribution to Tourism in Spain” by Exceltur, with 2024 data.
This type of accommodation was the only one among the three reviewed in the report that saw growth across all 29 Canary regions examined. Hotels and flats, as well as campsites and rural tourism, saw growth in some areas but also negative balances in many others.
In terms of sheer increase, the hotel sector added 3,084 beds in the 15 top tourist areas, and flats added 843 to their offering. But when accounting for bed losses, hotels gained only 1,455 new beds, while flats lost 4,653 beds. Overall, the Canary Islands increased their accommodation capacity by 25,568 beds over two years, a figure still lower than the rise seen with holiday homes.
Flats suffered the most, losing 5,496 beds in two years. Hotels also saw a dip, losing 1,629 beds. Gains in these sectors were modest compared to the surge in holiday homes. The 3,084 extra beds in hotels amounted to just 9% of the total added capacity, meaning only about one in ten new beds. In many municipalities, 13 out of the 29 in the report, hotel data remained unchanged since 2022.
Exceltur’s report comes amidst a political debate in the Canaries surrounding holiday homes, as legislation to regulate them – the Draft Law on Sustainable Tourist Housing Use in the Canary Islands – is under way. Since the government’s announcement of regulatory changes in April 2024, the number of such homes has increased. Opposition parties have described this as a “call effect,” with owners rushing to register their properties to comply with current rules before potential restrictions are enacted. From April 2024 to February 2025, there was a 21% rise in tourist flats in the islands.
Between 2022 and 2024, Barlovento in La Palma saw the largest percentage increase with an 82.2% rise in tourist housing, while hotel and flat offerings remained unchanged. San Miguel in Tenerife experienced a 49.9% growth, and Arrecife in Lanzarote saw an increase of 47.5%.
Amongst flats, the highest losses occurred in San Miguel, with a 40.9% drop in two years, and in Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife), where the decrease reached 71.1%. Los Llanos de Aridane in La Palma also saw a 21.7% reduction.
Of the 15 most tourist-focused municipalities, Adeje in Tenerife hosts the most holiday home beds, totalling 20,338, or 28% of its total capacity. Arona in Tenerife follows with 18,003 beds, making up 29.9% of the total, and La Oliva in Fuerteventura with 17,310 beds, representing 54.4% of its offering. This trend is continued in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where it makes up 55.3%, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 53.4% of current capacity.
