The number of German tourists in this tourist destination in Spain fell dramatically between January and May 2025, with 28,897 visitors compared to the same period last year. However, the total of international visitors increased, especially thanks to the sharp growth of British tourism, which exceeded 738,000 visitors in just five months.
According to data from the Canary Statistics Institute (Istac), Lanzarote received 146,079 German tourists earlier this year, when in 2024 they had been 174,976. The break coincides with the entry into force of an increase in short -range flight taxes in Germany in May 2024, which significantly faced travel.
The new tax, which raised the rate by ticket from about 10.80 pounds (12.35 euros) to 13.46 (15.40 euros), was criticized by several entities in the tourist sector. Christoph Ploss, the German government’s tourism policy coordinator, told Bild newspaper, quoted by the British newspaper The Mirror, that the decisions of the previous executive “have made the vacation more expensive for the Germans,” adding: “A deserved holidays in Mallorca cannot become unmatched.”
British compensated this descent
Despite the break in German tourism, Lanzarote had a positive global performance. According to Gazette Life, British visitors increased from 691,902 to 738,387 in the same period, largely compensating for the loss of Germans. The total of international tourists rose to 1.4 million, plus 46,188 than last year.
Among the markets that contributed most to this growth are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, France, Belgium and Spain itself. According to the same source, this climb was found despite the protests that have stirred the Canarys, where the local population has shown their discontent with the impacts of mass tourism.
Main complaints of the inhabitants
The main complaints in this tourist destination arrest with the rise of cost of living and housing, the overload of infrastructure, the loss of cultural identity and the excess of visitors. Still, official numbers show that tourism continues to grow: according to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (INE), the cannaries welcomed 4.36 million international tourists in the first quarter of 2025, more 2.1% than the previous year.
Madrid, Barcelona and Seville remain the most visited cities in Spain, followed by destinations such as the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Valencia and Granada, according to the.
Lanzarote’s case shows how mobility and tax trends can strongly influence travelers’ behavior. With British tourists to reinforce their position as the main group of visitors, it remains to be seen how German tourism will evolve in the next seasons, especially if economic restrictions are maintained.
Despite the specific break in some markets, the tourist sector of the cannaries continues to grow, even in a tense social climate and under strong political and environmental pressure.
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