Gay Tourism

There is one particular branch of tourism which is highly successful in Gran Canaria, and we speak of neither medical nor rural tourism. Some prefer to talk about it, some to dismiss the idea of it. Either way, gay tourism is at its height in Gran Canaria, and to such extent that the island is often referred to as the ultimate European destination in terms of tolerance of gay communities, gay pastimes and leisure opportunities and so on.

The genuine hub of gay life and tourism in Gran Canaria is to be located in the municipality of San Bartolome de Tirajana, more precisely, in and around Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas. Yumbo Center is the core of all that is related to gay activities, with plenty of bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs dedicated or, at least, oriented to welcoming the leisure needs of the huge flow of gays and lesbians coming in Gran Canaria each year, though the Sand Dunes of Maspalomas too stand for a romantic and adventurous getaway for homosexuals who want to indulge in the sun heated embrace of the sand. Las Palmas, the capital of the island, honors, it too, the span of gay tourism.

In fact, the gay phenomenon is so significant in Gran Canaria that the venues dedicated to such a public do not confine to bars and the like. There is a plethora of hotels conceived to accommodate gay people exclusively.

Moreover, several notable events in Gran Canaria cover the specific theme of the gay movement. We speak of Maspalomas Gay Pride, Gay Pride Las Palmas and of the International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, for instance.

In addition to all that, in order to give gay people the opportunity to plan their vacation as comprehensively as possible, plenty of online guides to gay tourism in Gran Canaria have developed in order to provide the main guidelines of an efficiently structured stay on the island.

Gran Canaria