The III Premios Canarias de Hostelería Santa Marta 2026 was scheduled for 29 July at the Centro Cultural de Maspalomas in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The annual awards recognise hospitality workers and businesses across the Canary Islands. The ceremony coincides with Santa Marta, traditionally associated with hospitality workers, and brings together industry professionals, local authorities and the public to celebrate the people behind Maspalomas Costa Canaria’s tourism offer.
The 2026 edition introduced a public vote alongside the jury process. Organisers collected 35 statements from hospitality workers about what their profession means to them, and a jury selected 10 finalists. The public vote was intended to determine one award recipient, with the winner due to be announced at the gala. This gives members of the public and workers in the sector a direct role in selecting a honouree.
This year’s awards focus on kitchen personnel, including chefs, section heads and assistants. The sequence follows recognition of housekeeping staff in 2024 and front-of-house employees in 2025. The event also recognises companies and initiatives for innovation, sustainability, design and gastronomic quality. At the 2025 gala, Alejandro Marichal, first deputy mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, described the purpose of the awards as recognising “those who aren't always on the front page, but are always on the front lines: attending to, serving, resolving, welcoming.”
Tourism is the principal economic activity in Maspalomas and southern Gran Canaria, putting hospitality workers at the centre of the destination’s service offer. Yilenia Vega, the municipality’s councillor for Tourism, Festejos and Events, has described a three-part tourism strategy: “increasing public investment for promotion, improving public spaces through the Tourism Consortium, and boosting the private sector by encouraging its modernization.” The awards’ focus on kitchen, housekeeping and guest-facing staff fits within this wider emphasis on service quality and modernisation.
Tourism demand across the Canary Islands remained high during summer 2026. Figures attributed to the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC) put accommodation occupancy at 62.49% in June, 75.73% in July and 80.23% in August. The August rate was below the 81.70% reported for August 2025. A separate analysis reported occupancy above 70% in nine of the 12 months it examined, while tourist spending exceeded €1,600 during high-demand periods. These indicators offer a broader picture of the sustained demand supported by hospitality workers and businesses.
The 2025 gala had already established the awards as an annual sector event, recognising workers whose day-to-day contribution is often less visible than the destination itself. Marichal’s remarks at that ceremony linked recognition to the practical work of welcoming guests and resolving problems. By turning the spotlight to kitchen teams in 2026, the awards continue a sequence recognising different groups whose work shapes the visitor experience and Maspalomas Costa Canaria’s reputation.
