Historical evolution of the tourist space in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (1880–2025): paradigms, stages and urban transformations

Abstract

The study analyses the evolution of tourism in the urban area of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from the late 19th century to 2025, using documentary research and an inductive approach. It examines accommodation provision, travel motivations, types of tourism and stages of urban development in order to understand their relationship with the various tourism paradigms and the city’s transformation. The results confirm the existence of three distinct stages: a first stage linked to cultural and health tourism among the European elites; a second stage, preceded by the 1929 crisis and the wars, associated with the Fordist model of sun-and-beach tourism developed from the 1960s onwards; and a third, contemporary stage characterised by the consolidation of the city as a diverse and multifunctional urban destination. In addition to validating this periodisation, the study proposes a methodological model applicable to other territories, adapting it to their specific characteristics. Finally, it identifies future lines of research focused on the end of the Fordist phase in the late 1990s and on a prospective analysis of the evolution of the current urban tourism model