With new nonstop Air Transat service from Toronto and Montreal launching this winter, Gran Canaria is entering a new chapter in the Canadian market. In this week’s Take 5, United States & Canada Delegate Pedro Pérez talks about the island’s growing hotel and culinary scene, its appeal beyond the beaches, how advisors can match clients with the right Gran Canaria experience and the support available to help sell the destination.

1.What’s new in Gran Canaria for Canadian travellers in 2026-27?

“The biggest news is access. Air Transat’s new non-stop flights from Montreal and Toronto start Dec. 12, the first regular direct link between Canada and Gran Canaria in about 50 years. For the first time, Canadian clients can be on the beach or in the mountains of Gran Canaria the same day they leave home.

“On the hotel side, the story is quality rather than quantity, with renovations and repositioning lifting the island’s upscale offer:

• Boutique hotels in historic Vegueta: Be Cordial has opened a collection of four-star boutique hotels in restored buildings in the old town of Las Palmas, including Cordial Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana, a 20-room house with a rooftop terrace facing the cathedral square.

• H10 Costa Mogán reopened fully renovated as an adults-only hotel right on Playa del Cura, with a rooftop, beach club and wellness program.

• More luxury on the way: Lopesan has just received the licence to build a new 249-room luxury hotel in Maspalomas.

“Advisors will also find brands their clients already book in the Caribbean and Mexico, such as Riu, Paradisus by Meliá and Lopesan.

“The food scene keeps growing too. The island has several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Poemas by Hermanos Padrón at the Santa Catalina hotel in Las Palmas and Los Guayres at Cordial Mogán Playa. Bevir, one of our Michelin-recognized kitchens, has opened a new chapter inside the Lopesan Costa Meloneras resort in the south.”

Nublo Rural Park

2.What are the destination’s biggest selling points beyond the beaches and sunshine?

“We call Gran Canaria a ‘miniature continent’ and say that variety is the real selling point. In a single day, clients can walk the Maspalomas dunes, drive up through pine forests to volcanic peaks in the centre of the island, and have dinner in a city founded more than 500 years ago.

• Nature and stargazing: Almost half the island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and its mountainous heart, Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. The island is also a certified Starlight destination, so stargazing is an easy add-on.

• A real European city: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria combines Las Canteras, a city beach locals swim at year-round, with Vegueta, the historic quarter where Christopher Columbus stopped in 1492 on his way to the Americas.

• Food and wine: Clients can taste local wines, award-winning cheeses like Flor de Guía, and coffee grown in the Agaete Valley, one of the few places in Europe where coffee is cultivated.

• Active travel: Hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails, world-class road cycling, golf and diving, all in winter temperatures in the low 20s.

“For something lesser known, I’d point advisors to the north and the interior: the Agaete Valley, Gáldar, Teror, the mountain village of Tejeda, the cave houses of Artenara and the Guayadeque ravine with its cave restaurants. The winter calendar adds even more: Las Palmas Carnival and the almond blossom festivals in the mountain villages both fall within the Air Transat season.”

3.How is airlift looking for the upcoming winter season?

“This is a historic winter for us. On Dec. 12, Air Transat launches the first regular nonstop flights between Canada and Gran Canaria in about 50 years: Montreal departs Saturdays from Dec. 12 and Toronto Pearson departs Sundays from Dec. 13, both running until April 4, 2027. 

“The flights use the Airbus A321LR with around 199 seats in two cabin classes, and flying time from Toronto is roughly seven and a half to eight and a half hours. That’s comparable to a trip to many Caribbean islands, and clients land in Europe without a connection.

“For clients travelling outside those dates or from Western Canada, connections are easy. Air Canada, Air Transat, Iberia and WestJet fly from Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Calgary to Madrid and Barcelona, with onward flights to Gran Canaria in under three hours. Canada–Spain capacity is up about 16% for the coming year. Gran Canaria also has excellent inter-island links, so it pairs easily with the rest of the Canary Islands, which many Canadian visitors already do.

“And a tip for advisors? The direct flights cover just 17 departures per gateway this first season, so book early, especially over the holidays and March Break.”

Las Canteras Beach

4.How is Gran Canaria growing its presence in Canada, and what support do you offer advisors?

“Canada is a priority market for us, and the momentum is real. Canadian hotel guests on the island reached a record in 2025, up more than 60% on 2019. Among Canadians planning a trip to Spain, Gran Canaria is the island destination that generates the most interest. The Air Transat route is the result of years of work with the airline, and our goal now is to fill those flights in their first winter so the route keeps growing.

“For advisors, we focus on four things:

• Training: This year we hosted English and French webinars with Travelweek, and both recordings remain available on demand.

   

• Bookable product: We work with tour operators so advisors have something ready to sell. Goway, for example, has launched three Gran Canaria itineraries that can be booked alone or combined with other European destinations.

   

• Fam trips: We host Canadian advisors on the island to experience it first-hand. A group visited in October, and more trips are planned around the launch of the direct flights.

   

• In-market events and direct support: We met Canadian advisors and tour operators in Montreal in May, and we’ll be back in Montreal and Toronto for more trade events. Advisors can also reach me directly for itinerary ideas, supplier contacts and fam trip opportunities.”

Ansite Fortress

5. What is one thing you wish more Canadian advisors knew, and how should they match clients with the destination?

“I wish more advisors knew that Gran Canaria isn’t just a beach resort. It’s a complete European destination, with Spanish culture, a historic capital, mountain villages and great food, in a safe EU setting that uses the euro. Now it’s also a direct flight from Toronto or Montreal.

“When matching clients, I’d think about it like this:

• Snowbirds and long-stay travellers: Mild winters and plenty of apartment options make longer stays easy. Canadians who visit the Canary Islands already stay about two weeks on average.

   

• Culture and food lovers: Base them a few nights in Las Palmas, then send them to the north and the interior villages.

   

• Active travellers: Hiking, cycling and trail running across very different landscapes.

   

• Couples and luxury travellers: Adults-only and five-star resorts in Maspalomas, Meloneras and Mogán, plus Michelin-starred dining.

   

• Solo travellers: A safe, easy island to explore alone, and one that already draws strong interest from Canadian women travelling solo.

“My main advice is to sell at least seven nights and split the stay between Las Palmas and the south, with a rental car or guided day trips into the mountains. Clients who see the whole island come home with a much bigger story, and they come back.”

For more information about Gran Canaria, go to www.grancanaria.com/turismo/en.