Real business fabric
Sectors I know well in Las Palmas.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria concentrates the archipelago's economic muscle: the most important port of the mid-Atlantic, the seat of the special Canarian tax framework (ZEC, REF), the tourist area of Maspalomas-Playa del Inglés and the University of Las Palmas. These are the sectors where I see the most opportunity for companies on the island.
Commercial port · 5th TEU of Spain
The Port of Las Palmas handles more than 1 million TEU a year, placing it in the Spanish top 5 for container traffic, with a unique position as the gateway to West Africa. Bunkering, Ro-Ro traffic, agency services and naval repair (Astican, ASTILLEROS CANARIOS) generate a B2B fabric serving clients in Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde and European shipowners.
I work with shipping agents, customs brokers and port-service companies on international positioning in English, Portuguese and French, commercial dossiers for European and African shipowners (very different audiences), and ISO 9001 with transit-time KPIs plus ISO 14001 to reduce the regulatory cost of unloading.
Banking and finance · Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC)
The ZEC allows a Corporate Tax rate of 4% for companies that meet investment and employment requirements. That has attracted to Las Palmas a small but significant financial node: fund managers, brokers, family offices, advisors specialised in ZEC structures and services for foreign companies operating via the Canary Islands. The local financial brand competes with Madrid and Barcelona, but wins on proximity to the ZEC client.
Here my role is to help firms and advisors position themselves as ZEC experts against peninsular competitors (technical content that explains it correctly, not slogans), institutional pitch preparation, ISO 9001 for client processes, and especially GDPR + ENS when serving the Canarian public sector.
Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés tourism
Southern Gran Canaria concentrates the island's major tourism: hotel complexes, restaurant offer, nautical leisure, retail for international visitors. Brand pressure grows because clients increasingly compare on Booking, Tripadvisor and reels before booking, and because the sector has to respond to real sustainability (energy, water, waste).
For resorts and hotels I work on segment positioning (family, premium, golf, sports, LGBTQ+ — a significant niche in Maspalomas), branded content that goes from beautiful photography to a differentiating promise, and ISO 14001 + Travelife + Biosphere turned into a visible commercial argument for the international channel.
Audiovisual and film · Canary Islands tax shelter
The Canarian audiovisual tax incentive (50% deduction for local production on the first million) has positioned Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote as competitive locations against Malta, Morocco or Bulgaria. International shoots (cinema, series, advertising) generate demand for technical services, equipment rental, casting, production lines and post-production.
I support local production companies and audiovisual service firms with international positioning in English, commercial dossiers that speak to American or European line producers, and ISO 9001 focused on deadlines (a shoot does not move) plus ISO 14001 (sustainable shoots are already a contractual argument with the majors).
Higher education · ULPGC and technical training
The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the city's technical vocational training feed an ecosystem of academies, language schools, business schools, maritime training and trades around the port. Competition with Tenerife (ULL) and with the peninsular online offer pushes toward professionalising brand and acquisition.
For academies, centres and technical training I work on local digital positioning (SEO Las Palmas + Gran Canaria), acquisition funnels with neuromarketing applied to landing pages, and certifications when they give access to subsidies (SEPE, ICAP, Servicio Canario de Empleo).