The president of the Cabildo, Antonio Morales, and the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Álamo, attend the international fair in the United Kingdom, together with the technical team of Tourism of Gran Canaria, with an agenda that includes thirty meetings with professionals from all tourism sectors and segments
The economic uncertainty in the United Kingdom does not stop vacation trips to Spain, with the Canary Islands as a preferred destination, and experts indicate that the English are not willing to give up their week of sun and beach
Once again this year, Gran Canaria Tourism will be present at the World Travel Market in London, a reference event for the British market that will be held this coming week, between November 6 and 8, in the Canary Wharf neighborhood of island descent. The island president, Antonio Morales, and the Tourism Councilor of the Cabildo, Carlos Álamo, lead the Gran Canaria delegation, with thirty meetings on the agenda, in a year that is presented as historic both in volume and billing. “Never before have we had so many British clients as now,” the advisor highlighted before pointing out “we intend to consolidate this good moment, and the current levels of spending and billing, despite the difficulties of the United Kingdom economy, and give it continuity in time with new agreements.”
The arrival data points to an exercise in historical records. 692.871 British passengers landed at the Gran Canaria airport between January and September 2023, which implies an increase of 16,9% in the year-on-year comparison and is close to the accumulated figure for the entire year 2022, which closed with the presence of 792.588 tourists from the United Kingdom, +2,7% higher than in 2019. Therefore, if Gran Canaria counts the same presence of British clients that it had the last winter season -414.251 tourists-, it is estimated that before the end of the By November, the entry records of last year will have already been surpassed and the final results would even be above the historical ceiling of this market, established in 2017 with the presence of 889.886 tourists.
Furthermore, the average spending of the British customer in Gran Canaria has risen to an average of 1.348,9 euros per individual, with an increase in spending per stay of 14%, and per day, of 11%. Meanwhile, the British stay is 8,5 days.
For the counselor, "the challenge now is to consolidate and if we can improve this good moment, which allows us to compensate for the problems of other markets, such as the German or the Nordic one, with greater historical weight in our economy and which are taking time to recover their habitual behavior,” explained the counselor before emphasizing the difficulty in establishing perspectives in a scenario as volatile and full of uncertainties as the current one. He recalled that the general number of clients accumulated on the island, between January and September, is 2.580.948, 15% more than what was received in the same months of 2022.
The United Kingdom issuing market is one of the most important and has the greatest strategic weight in the Canary Islands economy, although historically it has been below other nationalities or regions such as Germany or Nordic. However, after the summer, the British has positioned itself as the first client of the Gran Canaria tourism sector.
This performance surprises a large majority of experts, when considering the economic crisis that the country is going through and the added problems caused by Brexit and Covid. “We see how each market behaves in a different way,” the counselor acknowledged before explaining: “The Germans are in an equally delicate financial situation and during 2023 the Bavarian government made a call to contain spending, which the citizen German continued quite rigorously in the face of the threat of a winter without heating. On the contrary, all the surveys indicate that, although the economic situation in the United Kingdom is just as complex, it does not want or is not willing to give up its week of vacation, sun and beach, and they argue that for them It is a vital necessity. Consequently, the British prefer to do without other expenses. Many even claim to prefer their vacations to buying a car. That is why it is important to analyze the markets and commit to their diversification, which we are carrying out successfully, and with which we can compensate for the decline of one nationality with the increase of others and thus not depend on one client. In our case, the British, French, Belgians, Dutch and Italians are growing significantly
The counselor indicated that the pace of reservations is good, as well as the growth in connectivity with 11% more places available. Although he also admitted a point of moderation in the outlook “because we know that we are subject to many variables and uncertainty due to the economic situation, the energy crisis and the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, together with other factors that do not help and that may discourage investment. vacation.”
The previous analysis carried out by the technicians and professionals of Tourism of Gran Canaria, presented to the professionals of the sector in a meeting that took place in Infecar, indicates that the British client continues to consider holidays abroad as essential, despite the concerns due to the serious crisis and its impact on the cost of living.
This performance places Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands, in general, as one of the preferred destinations of the British, also considering that they have not yet recovered the total volume of travelers before Covid. The British made 2022% fewer vacation trips in 24. However, 50% chose Spain and the Canary Islands, along with the Balearic Islands, have recovered and improved their numbers before other preferred destinations in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, spending has grown per stay, by 14%, and per day, by 11%.
Other data offered indicates that 42% of British adults travel at least once a year, while 21% do so up to twice to foreign destinations. On the negative side, the days of stay have decreased, yes, between the 8 to 14 day category and those from 4 to 7 have increased, so they have shortened their vacations as a way to compensate for the economic uncertainty.
Another notable fact, according to Gran Canaria Tourism experts, is the growing value of the issue of sustainability when choosing a destination, to the point that 58% consider this element crucial. 75% of those surveyed say that the direct responsibility for addressing Climate Change falls on tourism companies, while 28% admit to being willing to spend more for more sustainable vacations. In this sense, fuel consumption is of concern and long-term trips that do not include the Canary Islands are 'punished' for this reason. In this sense, it is estimated that travel could represent 41% of total C02 emissions in the year 2050. It is also a client who plans, opts for four and five star hotels and books well in advance, with preference for the all-inclusive package, and which usually blocks the same months in advance and pays later in installments. The house's professionals also highlighted the resurgence of travel agencies in recent years.
