Canary Islands’ business community is once again showing a marked territorial and industrial divide at the sector’s major international maritime showcases. Barely a handful of companies from the archipelago have decided to step forward to sponsor Seatrade Cruise Med 2026, the leading cruise trade show in the Mediterranean and Mid-Atlantic, which will be held on September 16 and 17 at the Turkish business at the Cruise Terminal in the Port of Las Palmas. There are seven Canary Islands companies. Puertos de Las Palmas has raised the figure to 25 because it combines business associations with public companies and foreign-owned firms such as Talleres Milán, which is based in Almería.
The event, which will bring together more than 2,000 professionals from 90 countries and 220 executives from the world’s leading cruise lines, has been presented by institutions as a strategic milestone for the islands’ international profile. However, scrutiny of the private-sector alliances reveals that local sponsorship rests almost exclusively with non-Canary Islands multinationals or the public sector, which has had to step in to provide institutional backing through the Government of the Canary Islands — Proexca and the regional GMR Canarias/Volcanic Xperience — the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the Cabildo of Lanzarote and various town councils, including those of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife and Puerto del Rosario.
Private entities supporting the event include traditional Gran Canaria brands from the agri-food and services industries, such as Tirma, through Café Isaza; Cervezas Pío Pío, through UD Las Palmas; Destilerías Arehucas; Ahembo Pepsico; and the Poema del Mar Aquarium, owned by Loro Parque but located in the La Luz port complex. Cansegur, Elevaciones Archipiélago, Hospitales San Roque and Talleres Milán are also supporting the event.
Beatriz Calzada, president of the Las Palmas Port Authority, defended the importance of the trade show, saying that “it is a unique opportunity to show what we are and open the doors of our destination to the world,” in an attempt to highlight Gran Canaria’s ability to attract business, while the forum in fact exposes the isolation and fragmentation of the Canary Islands’ business community in high-level maritime diplomacy.
The article Only seven Canary Islands companies, one from Tenerife, back Seatrade Cruise Med 2026 in Las Palmas was first published on canarymaritime.com.
