Economy group 25th of April

Maspalomas nowadays is the second most touristic area in Spain and it has a capacity of 143209 beds (Consejeria de turismo de Canarias, 2007), which represents 70 % of the island's offer. The estimates of the number of tourists in this area is 2,5 millions, meanwhile for the whole island is 3,2 millions. However, Tenerife has more visitants.

The desertic south of Gran Canaria was unpopulated and cultivated for cereals and tomatoes until the 30s. They were providing water from the mountanious part. Then was started the planning for tourism development, from where the owner of the land, Conde de la Vega Grande, expected to get more profit.

To start with it they had to plan the needed infrastructure and future development. There are three diferent types of acommodation:

- apartaments (for enterprises, the highest percentage);

- the mixed (parcial private owners and rented apartaments);

- sold completly.

The bases for the tourist development and country's benefit were:

- the Strauss act (in the 70s: they were allowed to invest in the infrastructure of the countries in development);

- the oil crises (1973, 1979 - the construction slowed down).

With the entrance in the EU in 1986 they recevied founds needed for country's development, which made posible the further construction, also luxury hotels. There was a new crises in the 90s, when the prices went down.

Nowadays there have been building new commercial centres and hotels with special atractions to fullfill the offers and visitor's expectations as complementary service.