Hospitality workers in the Gran Canaria capital claim that the football World Cup has had a negative impact on the sector, with a revenue drop of nearly 10%. The final, which extended into the early hours, was particularly detrimental.
The celebration of the football World Cup, which concluded with Spain's victory over Argentina, has not been a good business for bars and restaurants in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. According to the Association of Bars, Restaurants and Leisure of Las Palmas, revenue during the tournament has been low, especially on weekends, when earnings fell significantly.
Fermín Sánchez, president of the association, explains that the main issue has been the timing of the matches. “In the preliminary phase, there were matches for Spain at eight in the evening and another at one in the morning,” he points out. This scattered scheduling has led many customers to choose to watch the games at home with friends or family, rather than going to hospitality establishments.
The day of the final was especially negative. “With the extra time, it was a disaster, except in places where there were gatherings with screens, like Mesa y López or some shopping centres,” Sánchez states. The match ended almost at one in the morning, which prevented bars from taking advantage of peak consumption hours, between ten and twelve at night. “Much worse than a normal Sunday,” he adds.
Overall, revenue during the World Cup has dropped by around 10% on the island. Sánchez details that there was a slight increase in sales during the week, but weekends, which account for between 60% and 70% of weekly income, suffered. “It has been completely unbalanced,” he laments.
The hospitality sector in the capital is already looking towards the 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain. Sánchez hopes the situation will be different, although he expresses a message of concern: “Let’s see who arrives with how things are in hospitality, with taxes, terrace regulations, absenteeism, and all costs. 90% are family businesses or micro-enterprises.”
The reality in the south of the island was different, where the influx of tourists, especially from countries like England or Germany, maintained a higher level of activity in the bars and restaurants in the area. However, in the capital, the general trend has been a decline in income.
For hospitality workers, the key lies in the timings. Matches on weekdays at eight in the evening managed to attract some customers, but on weekends, when leisure activities are concentrated in the evening hours, matches at late hours discouraged clientele. “We thought we would sell between ten and twelve at night, but the match ended almost at one in the morning due to extra time and celebrations. Overall, the World Cup has been negative,” Sánchez asserts.
The association president also notes that in establishments with televisions, they could not increase capacity, so revenue remained at usual levels or slightly higher during the week, but insufficient to compensate for weekend losses. “Where there was television, we couldn’t increase capacity, so in many cases, revenue was more or less as usual. But overall, the public stayed at home,” he concludes.
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