The Minister of Tourism of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and president of Turismo Gran Canaria declares himself optimistic. After a few days of “frantic activity” in Fitur, the meetings and feelings are good. The year 2022 is expected to be the year of recovery and, in this process, peninsular tourists will be key.
After Fitur, what are the feelings?
Positive, good feelings. They were a few days full of meetings, with up to 62 meetings in marathon days and focused on confirming and supporting previous work and seeking to strengthen air connectivity. The balance has been good for the Canary Islands, but even better for Gran Canaria, which closed this fair exceeding expectations and with more than 900.000 confirmed places, 16% more. It is great news and we are very happy.
At this fair, which in itself is returning after the pandemic stop is a positive sign, more than 7.000 professionals have gathered and we have had the opportunity to test the market.
After several decades always looking at foreign tourism, it is time to look home. What is the importance of the national tourist?
The peninsular tourist has always been there. Although for decades special attention has always been paid to foreign tourists by volume, peninsular tourists have always been present, occupying the third or fourth level. Now it is the main tourist, along with local tourists, who have responded to the difficulties of the pandemic and mobility in Europe. They have helped us get the industry going, and he is an interesting tourist.
He is a tourist who spends at the destination, who knows how to enjoy gastronomy, a tourist who appreciates the kilometer 0 product and who likes to leave the hotel and get to know the island. With the national visitor we can move forward and fulfill the objective of also diversifying the island's tourist offer and distributing the wealth generated by tourism in the different municipalities.
He is a very appreciated tourist by us and we want to reward that trust that they have had in the destination, making it easier for them with better and greater connectivity. At Fitur we have committed 900.0000 airline seats, more than expected, so now we have to work and build loyalty.
Another key tourism for the south of Gran Canaria is the LGTBIQ+ community. Is there news for this sector?
We had a very important meeting at Fitur with the Minister of Tourism, Reyes Maroto , to advocate for this sector and its importance to southern Gran Canaria, which has been proudly representing this area for generations. Southern Gran Canaria is a well-known and highly regarded destination, a place to fully enjoy without worries or problems of discrimination. This work has been done for decades and has been done well, so now we are working to secure funding from the European Union and use it to promote Gran Canaria as a destination in this market, as well as to improve public and private facilities.
The Ministry's intention is to allocate funds to finance promotional projects as part of the 'Spain Tourism Experiences' program, which is in turn integrated into a line of aid worth 100 million euros for the 2021-2023 three-year period of the European Union. .
Maspalomas is a privileged location, and this is a market that has always been valued and recognized by Gran Canaria as a top-tier destination in Europe. This line of financing could further solidify its leadership in this market. Gran Canaria Tourism will work closely with the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council and various businesses to secure funding so that the island and Maspalomas remain a preferred destination for LGBTQ+ tourism.
The bet is to diversify. What other tourism sectors have been protagonists of Fitur?
Of course, active and sports tourism has also been valued. In recent years, the coordinated work between the insular Sports Department, Gran Canaria Tourism and the 21 municipalities has been important, and it is evident that Gran Canaria has a lot of potential for outdoor sports. The climate gives us an advantage, with warm winters and milder summers than in other destinations, which is why many teams come to the island to train, compete or enjoy. Now more than ever, in the complicated situation that Covid-19 has left us, Gran Canaria has some attributes that we are going to value, and work very hard to ensure that international athletes and tourists interested in sports choose Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria is a perfect tourist destination for cycling routes, hiking and all outdoor sports such as nautical sports, among others. There are many companies working in this line and it was time for Fitur, the most important tourism fair in Europe, to claim the positioning of the different events that have already earned a place in the international sports calendar and to bet on bringing new events.
In this sense, in 2022 we will have the Maspalomas Marathon in its second edition and the Promises League that will arrive in Maspalomas in these first months of the year and will ensure three days of live television from our destination. Cycling, running, sailing, the Windsurfing World Championship in Pozo Izquierdo... it is a wide range of events that help professional and amateur athletes talk about Gran Canaria and promote the island and in this way, more people can prepare their sports here. seasons and enjoy the tourist destination.
Could 2022 be the year of tourist takeoff after the pandemic?
Barring unforeseen events, 2022 seems to be the year of recovery. In 2022 we could have a good summer season, closer to normality and good in that we could return to the figures of the summer of 2019. Although we cannot be completely calm, because Covid has shown us that it is an unknown and capable to ruin the work of months, with the tool of vaccination everything indicates that reservations will begin to arrive starting in March. In 2022 and after the uncertainty due to the health crisis, cancellations will stop arriving in favor of reservations.
After hours sitting with sector agents and companies, a summer is predicted that could be the beginning of a good winter season. From Turismo Gran Canaria we are going to do our part to normalize the situation, with an approved budget for 2022, with the renewal of the entity, new statutes, and having prepared ourselves internally to fill positions and be agile. The objective is to be prepared for the ups and downs of the industry, and to have a more modern institution with a complete team that has more capacity to respond.