Mayor Yonathan de León criticises that the Port Authority of Las Palmas only allocates 2 million to Arrecife compared to 131 million for Gran Canaria in the 2027 Business Plan, despite the fact that the capital of Lanzarote contributes more than 30% of the income from cruise ships.
The City Council of Arrecife has raised its voice against the Port Authority of Las Palmas (APLP) for what it considers systematic discrimination in investments. The mayor, Yonathan de León, denounces that the APLP's 2027 Business Plan allocates a mere two million euros to the port of Arrecife, while 131 million is reserved for Gran Canaria, more than half of the total budget of 230 million for works.
“Investments in Arrecife must reflect our significant weight in the port economy,” the mayor has pointed out. According to De León, the capital of Lanzarote generates more than 30% of the APLP's income from tourist activity, thanks to the record of 403,144 cruise passengers received between January and June 2026, a 16% increase from the previous year.
The contrast is evident: while the port of Arrecife is breaking historical records, the APLP is planning dock expansions and improvements in bunkering services in Gran Canaria, which concentrates 55% of the planned investments for 2027. De León demands that “just as works are carried out in Gran Canaria, they should be done in our capital, where 20% of our waterfront is state port area.”
Official data from the APLP, published this Tuesday, shows that the three state ports in the province (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) handled 1,300,770 cruise passengers in the first half of the year, with a growth of 9.63%. However, Arrecife grew by 16%, well above the average, reinforcing the demand for greater investment reciprocity.
The mayor emphasises that the port of Arrecife is key to the local economy and that the allocated funds “discriminate against Lanzarote.” This claim arises in a context of tourism boom, with figures that consolidate the island as a preferred destination in the Atlantic.
De León has announced that he will take this complaint to the relevant authorities and demand a meeting with the presidency of the APLP to renegotiate the allocations. “We cannot allow that while our contribution grows, investments remain on the other side,” he has stated.
The controversy highlights the territorial imbalance in the management of the Canary Islands' ports, where the capital of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has historically concentrated the majority of resources. For the residents of Arrecife, the lack of investment translates into obsolete infrastructure and reduced capacity to handle the growing flow of cruise ships.
The City Council hopes that the economic and port traffic data will help correct what they consider an injustice. Meanwhile, the port of Arrecife continues to break records, but without the improvements that its mayor considers essential to maintain the pace.
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