The Nordics once again choose Gran Canaria as their favorite destination for autumn and winter

 

A historic connectivity, a volume of clients that has recovered its usual flow and that, after the economic difficulties derived from the pandemic, inflation and its proximity to the war episode in Ukraine, restores pre-pandemic indicators. “It is a priority market for Gran Canaria that is now on the rise. The year 2017 was the year with the greatest presence of Nordics in Gran Canaria, but this was due to a specific and conjunctural moment, so it is difficult for it to be repeated again. We aspire to a figure that is around or even exceeds 900.000 clients in this year and, if possible, exceeds the million that we had in 2019," said the Gran Canaria Tourism technicians, responsible for this market. With this perspective on the horizon, he concluded. the presentation to the professionals of the sector that, on the morning of this Thursday, September 28, was offered by the technical specialists of Tourism of Gran Canaria Infecar. In it, Mercedes Trujillo, technician responsible for this market, and Juan Fernando Suárez, promoter located in Stockholm, with the presence of the Gran Canaria Tourism manager, Pablo Llinares, carried out an analysis of the situation, behavior and trends of the tourism market of the Nordic countries, one of the most relevant for the island destination and which, after several years of economic difficulties and cost containment, is recovering its love affair with Gran Canaria after the years of pandemic.

 

“Traveling is not understood as a luxury for the Nordic client, it is more of a necessity and that is why they are willing to cut back on other expenses rather than give up their sunny days in Gran Canaria,” summarized Mercedes Trujillo in a presentation in which she assured that the island destination occupies a predominant position in which "the days of stay or the expense may change, but this client will remain faithful to their appointment with the tourist destination of Gran Canaria." 

 

 

The specialists offered entrepreneurs and professionals in the sector updated data, with an accumulated volume in the current fiscal year of 2023 calculated at 462.205 passengers, arrived through direct flights with the 33 airports that currently connect the island with the Nordic countries, with a greater presence between January and March and which is now revitalized with the start of the high season. According to data from ISTAC and Frontur, the growth of this market in the last year is 22,77% since the previous winter, despite the difficulties, was already a recovery with an increase of 28,15%. Everything indicates that the year will end with over 900.000 clients, a figure on average for the last ten years. 2022 closed with the arrival of 736.000 Nordic customers. The sum of Canarian destinations results in 1.176.277 Nordic destinations in the Archipelago (including Gran Canaria). 

 

In this sense, the places for this market will also increase compared to the previous year. The number of seats planned by the airlines, and which are established based on demand, was already 13,5% higher during the summer of 2023 compared to 2022. Looking ahead to the imminent winter, Gran Canaria will have 306.692 seats across of direct routes. This statistic does not include the arrival of charter flights from tour operators and tourist agents, so the increase in seats is around 8%. Norway will have a 10% increase. Sweden will have 9% and Finland will have 8% more places. The only route that does not grow in capacity is Denmark, with 4% less, which is explained by the fact that it comes from a very powerful previous growth process and is now in the readjustment process.   

 

Something that has not changed in recent years is that Gran Canaria continues to be the preferred destination for the Nordics during the winter season, especially relevant in the autumn months, in such a way that 60% of all clients in this market choose the tourist destination of Gran Canaria to enjoy your holidays. This client's love for Gran Canaria is such that the municipality of Mogán presents itself, during the winter months, as the place on the planet where the most Norwegian citizens can be located outside its borders.  

 

Gran Canaria Tourism experts explained that the Nordic client perceives and appreciates the island's offering especially for its climate and its tranquility or comfort, in such a way that for this client, tourist luxury is a concept that is more linked to the element of rest. , to comfort and tranquility. He is a tourist very interested in the natural characteristics of the island, in its privileged flora and fauna, in its network of trails and currently the Nordic interest in Gran Canaria cuisine stands out. “He is a tourist who knows us very well. He has been coming for many years, he has a significant level of spending and he is very interested in having knowledge of the island. They ask me things that leave you shocked by the level of detail, such as the month in which the tajinaste blooms,” Juan Fernando Suárez pointed out as an example.    

 

The tourist destination of Gran Canaria has a wide network of airports that directly connect the island destination. “This offers an image of the strength of the destination,” pointed out the ministry's specialists. Now the efforts of the GranCanaria Tourism team and the businessmen in the sector are to promote the summer experience and encourage the presence of a client with a younger and more athletic profile, or with an interest in active tourism, to reinforce the summer period. "Our intention is to obtain in 2024 figures similar to those of 2015 (910.000 tourists) and 2016 (938.608 clients), which are closer to the capacity of the Nordic market and this involves increasing the figures in summer, increasing the presence of young people and working in increased spending and a quality customer, which is what we really prioritize,” the technicians pointed out.  

 

These specialists stated that the Nordic client, due to their historical link, has great knowledge of the island destination, its natural attractions and its reality, with an important and constant flow of information with all kinds of information about Gran Canaria. “They have so assumed that we are their vacation paradise that they already see it as a part of their own information reality,” noted the tourism professionals of Gran Canaria. 

 

Mercedes Trujillo and Juan Fernando Suárez pointed out that 70% of reservations are currently made online, so the digitalization process is high and Gran Canaria has a predominant position of visibility in this field.  

 

Strategic bet from Riga

The presentation of markets also dealt with the Baltics, in which the airline Air Baltic, of Latvian nationality, has decided to reinforce its commitment to Gran Canaria for the winter season. The company based at Riga airport, which inaugurated its first route with Gran Canaria last November, will open a base at the Gran Canaria airfield this winter to which it will exclusively assign two Airbus A220-300 aircraft, and add 10 new routes in such a way that if last year the island destination had two weekly Air Baltic flights, starting this winter there will be a total of 17 per week. This is the first base of the Latvian company outside its main area of ​​operations and a clear commitment to the Baltic market, which follows in the wake of Nordic interest. The ten new Air Baltic routes will link Gran Canaria with airports in Finland, Lithuania , Estonia, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. In addition, the route to Riga, the capital of Latvia, will go from having two weekly flights to three. In total, the island destination will have 15 new weekly flights for next winter, as it will begin operating at the end of October and will market its offer from June 21. 

 

Finally, Gran Canaria Tourism professionals reviewed the main promotional actions that are structured into four main priority axes: sustainability, gastronomy, active tourism and technological elements.