Who is granting the €108 million?

The central government's Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda), through the Regional Incentives programme, according to the published information.

Which sectors get the money?

Mainly tourism and hotel projects, followed by a tobacco factory and industrial, bioenergy and audiovisual projects.

What is the tobacco factory mentioned?

The JT International Canarias plant in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with around €13.5 million in aid for a €37.5 million investment and 20 jobs.

Which islands receive investment?

In this round, only Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

How many jobs are expected?

847 new and 2,078 maintained jobs, per the figures released; these are projections subject to delivery.

CANARY ISLANDS · ECONOMY

€108 Million in State Aid for Canary Businesses: Tourism and a Tobacco Factory Lead

Spain's central government has approved around €108.2 million in Regional Incentives (Incentivos Regionales) aid for 13 business projects in the Canary Islands. According to the published figures, tourism projects and a tobacco factory (tabaquera) take the largest share of the money.

13 August 2026 · By Martin Kosinski · 5 min · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Felix König, CC BY 3.0 (Symbolbild).

The grants, managed by the state Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda), back investments totalling some €280.8 million in private capital. The programme's stated aim is to correct economic imbalances between regions.

What the Regional Incentives are

The Regional Incentives are a state grant scheme for productive investment, governed by Law 50/1985, designed to correct interregional economic imbalances. The awards are made by the central government's Ministry of Finance.

In this round, the Canaries receive around €108.2 million for 13 projects, according to the outlets consulted. Nationwide, €281.25 million was approved for 97 projects across 12 autonomous communities, making the archipelago the region that captures the most funds.

Tourism takes the biggest share

The bulk of the aid goes to hotel projects. The largest is the Lopesan group's scheme in San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria): about €49.2 million in support for an investment of roughly €126 million, with 552 jobs planned, according to the published information.

Next come HG Cristian Park in Arona (Tenerife), with about €12.7 million, and Hoteles Piñero Canarias in Adeje (Tenerife), with about €11.2 million. Each project foresees around 50 jobs.

The tobacco factory and other industrial projects

Among the non-tourism projects, the JT International Canarias plant in Santa Cruz de Tenerife stands out: about €13.5 million in support for a €37.5 million investment and 20 jobs, per the published data. This is an allocation of investment funds, not an assessment of the product.

The list also includes ATH Bioenergy in Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife), focused on biofertilisers, with around €6.4 million in aid, plus further projects in areas such as food distribution, aluminium and audiovisual content.

Jobs, islands and distribution

According to the figures released, the 13 Canary projects are expected to create 847 jobs and maintain a further 2,078. The associated private investment is around €280.8 million, well above the public aid.

The distribution is concentrated on two islands, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with schemes in municipalities such as San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Arona, Adeje and Granadilla de Abona. No projects on the smaller islands are recorded in this round.

Diversification or concentration?

The programme is presented as a tool to diversify and rebalance the economy, and it includes industrial, bioenergy and audiovisual projects alongside the hotels. The approval was welcomed from within the Canary Islands government, with finance minister Arcadi España and regional president Fernando Clavijo.

The other reading is that the money again lands mainly in tourism and on just two islands — which, for critics, reinforces dependence on the dominant sector rather than diversification. Both interpretations coexist in the public debate.

Good to know: The final award and the individual amounts per project are published in Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE) and through the channels of the Ministry of Finance and the Canary Islands government.
The figures cited here come from reporting on the agreement.

Context: These are approved grants that still have to be delivered: the employment figures are projections and the amounts may be adjusted during execution. The mention of the tobacco factory is a note on how the investment is allocated, not an endorsement of the product.

Key facts & figures

≈€108.2m in Regional Incentives aid for 13 projects in the Canaries (Ministerio de Hacienda)
≈€280.8m in associated private investment; 847 new and 2,078 maintained jobs
Lopesan (San Bartolomé de Tirajana): ≈€49.2m in aid; 552 jobs planned
JT International Canarias (tobacco factory, Santa Cruz de Tenerife): ≈€13.5m for €37.5m investment; 20 jobs
HG Cristian Park (Arona): ≈€12.7m; Hoteles Piñero (Adeje): ≈€11.2m
€281.25m for 97 projects across 12 regions; the Canaries receive the most

FAQ

Who is granting the €108 million?: The central government's Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda), through the Regional Incentives programme, according to the published information.
Which sectors get the money?: Mainly tourism and hotel projects, followed by a tobacco factory and industrial, bioenergy and audiovisual projects.
What is the tobacco factory mentioned?: The JT International Canarias plant in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with around €13.5 million in aid for a €37.5 million investment and 20 jobs.
Which islands receive investment?: In this round, only Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
How many jobs are expected?: 847 new and 2,078 maintained jobs, per the figures released; these are projections subject to delivery.

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