Antonio Morales presents to the Minister of Tourism, Héctor Gómez, the need for the Government of Spain to support the candidacy of Gran Canaria to host the 2030 World Cup
UD Las Palmas has become, after its promotion to the First Division, a major attraction for the island of Gran Canaria in the United Kingdom. The tourist brand of Gran Canaria relies on UD Las Palmas, on the attractiveness of its game and the media power implied by what is known as the 'king sport' to make visible and raise the popularity of the Island and its tourist offer among the British public. . In this way, the president of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, and the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Álamo, shared the spotlight with Patricio Viñayo, director of the UD Las Palmas, before the public at the World Travel Market.
The president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria positively valued the expansion strategy of UD Las Palmas in the United Kingdom and the contribution it makes in a space as popular as football, making known the virtues and qualities of the destination tourism of Gran Canaria among the English sports fan public.
“Product diversification is key for a quality tourist destination like ours. We've said it many times. It is not about adding millions of people, but about generating quality tourism, greater customer spending and greater turnover for the sector. And here comes culture, gastronomy, leisure offerings and, among other products, sports and the Las Palmas Sports Union plays a key role. Having a team in the First Division is important and even more so with the success it is having in these first months of the league, which adds to the role of the rest of the elite teams on the island and allows many fans to place us on the map. In the end, the elite teams travel through Europe and this speaks of the organizational capacity in Gran Canaria and, without a doubt, gives us visibility that is very valuable.”
Furthermore, the island president valued the international relevance of Gran Canaria through the yellow team in First Division in similar terms, which could mean at a tourist level having one of the ten official venues in Spain for the 2030 World Cup. In this sense, he proposed to the Minister of Tourism, Héctor Gómez, the need for the Government of Spain to support the candidacy of Gran Canaria as the venue for the 2030 World Cup. “For this to happen we need the support of the Government. On this occasion we were able to talk with the Minister of Tourism, Héctor Gómez, taking advantage of his presence in London. “We have highlighted all the work that is being done on the Island, both by civil society and by elite teams, and we have conveyed the importance it also has for tourism,” reported the president.
Carlos Álamo pointed out, for his part, that “it is undeniable that the UD has become another potentiality of Gran Canaria. For this reason, Gran Canaria Tourism, also in the World Travel Market, is teaming up with them, and we want to take advantage of their popularity to make Gran Canaria visible as a spectacular destination in which to do outdoor sports, attend major sporting events and, Why not, become an ideal destination for teams to train during the winter months. We are a sun and beach destination but we also offer much more. Complementary products are gaining space and popularity in our destination”, he concluded.
From UD Las Palmas, through the figure of its general director, Patricio Viñayo, he assured that it is also fortunate for the team to be able to have the Gran Canaria brand on its shirt. Something that allows us to become a suitable ambassador, which together with what is disseminated, with our own content throughout the planet, generates a unique opportunity for a world-class tourist destination, such as Gran Canaria, to find a platform for "We have to carry not only the name of the Island, but we can also transfer social empathy towards the UD in other latitudes to awaken in them interest in knowing and visiting our land."
The Unión Deportiva Las Palmas began a process of internationalization a few years ago and this is the second consecutive time that it has presented its brand at the World Travel Market in London. The yellow presence in London in 2022 translated into the collaboration agreement with Norwich City, “who are English canaries in yellow and green,” according to Viñayo. This, in turn, led to a three-way agreement with Turismo de Gran Canaria and for the first time in history an English team sports the name of Gran Canaria on its team.
'What we intend is to take advantage of this common story to, with events like last Friday, with a joint viewing of the match against Atlético de Madrid, generate sympathies that are surprising us, honestly. By beating Atlético, euphoria was unleashed in the pub and now we have a presence, an image and some sympathies that we did not have two months ago,” said the general director of the Gran Canaria team. Patricio Viñayo pointed out that the international fans “see us as an exotic, friendly team, they associate us with South American soccer and it is also surprising when they get to know our Island. They put a mark on the map, thanks to UD. "He is surprised by the talent of our footballers and of course the association football we play, far from what they are used to, and which influences English football today."
