The British customer guarantees his loyalty to Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria has become one of the preferred destinations for British customers internationally and will exceed its historical maximum, set in 2017, at the end of the year, with more than 900.000 customers visiting. With this reality and a temporary unknown, the Gran Canaria delegation presented itself this Monday on the first day of the World Travel Market in London, the main fair for the United Kingdom tourism market, and ended it with a conclusion shared by Antonio Morales, president of Gran Canaria. Canaria, and Carlos Álamo, insular Tourism Councilor: the British client will maintain the pace of reservations and will continue to decisively bet on Gran Canaria, as a preferred destination, both this winter and also during the summer of 2024.  

 

"The feelings are quite positive," declared Morales before recalling the complex situation experienced recently with the first tourist zero in the sector and the alarm generated by Covid. ¨We come from a situation of fragility in which we knew that we depended on external factors, which could condition the continuity of the tourism project of recent decades. Fortunately, all this has been left behind and we are experiencing a situation of recovery that we have seen on this first day of the WTM in London, explained the island president.

 

¨The work of market diversification that has been carried out in Gran Canaria has been important and today we confirm in one of the most important fairs in the world, that the data is extraordinarily positive for the island of Gran Canaria. British tourism currently occupies first place in the sector in Gran Canaria, we are about to surpass the record of 2017 and we have renewed the confidence of a tourist who is demanding, but who has been increasing spending and has made Gran Canaria lead stay records and billing. All in all, the diversification strategy has been good. Now the British public continues to retain its presence and interest in the island, and the German public is also recovering at the moment. We are still waiting for the Nordics to rebound, but the forecast for 2024 is more than positive, explained Antonio Morales.

   

 

 

¨The first day of the World Travel Market and the direct dealings with tourism agents, airlines and tour operating companies, in nearly twenty meetings during the first day, have allowed us to confirm two aspects that we consider strategic to consolidate a booming market for the Gran Canaria economy¨, indicated the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Álamo. ¨First of all, everyone has confirmed to us that the United Kingdom customer will continue to grow and will not do without their sun and beach getaway despite the difficulties their economy is going through. For them, this week is a vital necessity and they will continue to choose our destination during this winter season and during the rest of 2024. It is something that they mostly agree on, as well as that, under these premises, quality and climate, Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands in general is their first option for this winter and next summer, Álamo continued. 

 

The second conclusion of the Gran Canaria Tourism team is the high connectivity and, especially in the high occupancy rate of these places, since more than 85% of the places have been covered, in a notable rate. And, as everyone tells us, they will continue to be busy. Which guarantees us a good winter, for the 22/23 season, a good closing of the year, and, because of what we are negotiating now, we will have a summer season of 2024 that is especially exciting for the tourism sector of Gran Canaria as a preferred destination for Englishmen. And if we take into account that the British have not matched the departures of 2019, we are a main destination right now for them”, explained the advisor, Carlos Álamo. 

 

It should be remembered that the most recent data indicates that 692.871 British passengers landed at the Gran Canaria airport between January and September 2023, which implies an increase of 16,9% in the interannual comparison and, with three months to go, approximates the total number of total clients from the United Kingdom in the financial year 2022, which was 792.588 tourists, +2,7% compared to 2019. On the other hand, the average spending of the British client has risen to an average of 1.348,9, 43 euros. Furthermore, 2022% of Brits surveyed say they are willing to spend more money on their next vacation. Furthermore, to measure the data, it is worth noting that in 24 they had 2019% fewer departures and are still far from the 50 figures. However, approximately 14% 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. This client's spending has grown by 11% per stay and by XNUMX% per day.

 

Regarding the profile of the United Kingdom customer, the age group with the greatest presence is the one that corresponds, at 32,2%, to the group between 46 and 60 years old. They are followed, at 26,5%, by those between 31 and 45 and then by those over 61 years of age. Most do it as a couple. 62% of British clients claim to be entrepreneurs and 18% are retired. The main motivation is the search for rest, relaxation and tranquility, with a percentage greater than 70%. 60% are repeaters and show extensive knowledge of the island and the tourist municipalities. But the Internet and the different digitalization tools are imposed as the main way to search for information and plan your vacation stay. 40% choose to stay in four-star hotels. 

 

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. The days of stay decrease, yes, between the category of 8 to 14 days and those from 4 to 7 increase, which has shortened their vacations. 

 

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.