A new report released this week shows that just nine municipalities in the Canary Islands are home to more than half of all holiday rental properties advertised across the archipelago, highlighting how concentrated the sector has become in the islands' main tourist destinations.
The figures come from the Canary Islands Holiday Rental Association (ASCAV), which found that nine of the region's 88 municipalities accounted for 20,066 holiday rental properties in May 2026, which is 52.3% of the total listed on online platforms.
The remaining 79 municipalities shared 18,271 properties, representing the other 47.7% of the market.
South Tenerife leads the rankings
Arona tops the list with 3,675 holiday rental properties, followed by:
The report also highlights the significant role holiday lets play in some tourist areas when compared with the overall housing stock.
Based on the latest available housing census published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), holiday rentals account for an average of 9.74% of all homes across these nine tourist municipalities, compared with just 2.03% in the rest of the Canary Islands.
The highest concentration is found in Yaiza (Lanzarote), where holiday rentals represent 18.14% of all homes, followed closely by La Oliva (Fuerteventura) on 17.58%. Adeje (Tenerife) on 12.42%, and Tías (Lanzarote) with 10.30%, also exceed the 10% mark.
Much lower numbers in the islands' capitals
The picture is very different in the Canary Islands' largest residential towns and cities.
Together, the island capitals account for 4,309 holiday rental properties, equivalent to just 1.06% of their combined housing stock. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has the largest number with 1,987 properties, although they represent only 1.13% of all homes in the city.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife has 808 holiday rentals (0.83%), while San Cristóbal de La Laguna has 479, accounting for just 0.65% of its housing stock.
Empty homes far outnumber holiday rentals
ASCAV also compared holiday rentals with the number of empty properties recorded in the 2021 census.
Across the Canary Islands' largest cities, there are 59,090 vacant homes, representing 14.5% of the housing stock, far higher than the 1.06% made up by holiday rentals.
The same pattern can be seen in the main tourist municipalities, where empty properties account for 28.5% of all homes, compared with 9.74% used as holiday rentals.
Across the rest of the archipelago, vacant homes make up 17.5% of the housing stock, while holiday rentals account for just 2.03%.
Nearly 10,000 fewer holiday rentals in a year
The report also points to a sharp fall in the number of holiday rental properties advertised across the Canary Islands.
Between May 2025 and May 2026, listings dropped from 47,648 to 38,337, a reduction of 9,311 properties, or 19.5%.
Most of that decline occurred after December 2025, when the Canary Islands' new Sustainable Regulation of Tourist Housing Law was published.
From December to May alone, 8,780 properties disappeared from holiday rental platforms, equivalent to 18.6% of the listings available at the time.
ASCAV believes the fall reflects uncertainty created during the introduction of the new legislation. However, the association acknowledges that the figures only show a coincidence in timing and do not prove that the law alone caused the decline, as other factors may also have contributed.
Drops recorded across every island
Every island saw a reduction in holiday rental listings over the past year. The biggest percentage fall was recorded on El Hierro (-24.3%), followed by La Palma (more than -23%).
Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote all experienced declines of around 20%, while Gran Canaria recorded a fall of 18.3%.
Despite the reductions, Tenerife remains the island with the largest number of advertised holiday rentals, with 15,494 properties, followed by Gran Canaria with 8,404. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura each have more than 5,000 listings.
Registered properties far exceed active listings
The report also highlights a significant gap between the number of holiday rentals officially registered with the Canary Islands Government and those actively advertised online.
As of June 2026, the official Tourism Register contained 73,841 registered holiday rental properties, while only 38,337 were being advertised on booking platforms the previous month, a difference of more than 35,500 properties.
ASCAV suggests many owners may have registered their properties as a precaution to protect future rights under the new legislation, while noting that registration does not necessarily mean a property is actively being marketed to tourists.
