Miguel Angel Ramírez, president of UD Las Palmas, and councilor Carlos Álamo, sign a collaboration agreement with the aim of disseminating the brand image of Gran Canaria as a tourist destination at a national and international level
The agreement contemplates a double collaboration, by adding the promotion in the United Kingdom that facilitates the twinning of the yellow entity with Norwich City FC.
Gran Canaria Tourism and the Las Palmas Sports Union have signed this Tuesday, December 5, a collaboration agreement worth 414.000 euros, by which the department of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria will rely on the yellow entity, which currently certifies a successful campaign in the First Division of LALIGA, to promote the destination and thereby improve the competitive position in the markets of origin. Its estimated return is valued at 1,5 million.
UD Las Palmas has become, after its promotion to the First Division, a stronger claim for the island of Gran Canaria on a national and international level. For this reason, both entities have agreed to undertake a double strategic collaboration with the representative team and also with the British football team Norwich City Football Club, of interest for the tourist promotion of the Island in the United Kingdom, and with whom the UD Las Palmas has established a twinning process.
Therefore, as pointed out by the representatives of both parties, this sponsorship will impact three strategic markets for Gran Canaria: the national market of the First Division, the British market through the export of the Gran Canaria brand in the Premier , and in the international market with the twinning agreements in which UD Las Palmas works with clubs from other continents.
Carlos Álamo, advisor responsible for the tourism sector, assured that with this agreement “Gran Canaria Tourism intends to have an impact and promotional presence in the 20 cities with teams in the First Division, in sports broadcasts, as well as to also get benefits from the 20 British cities. connected directly by plane with Gran Canaria this winter season. It is also understood that it will be a promotion associated with desirable values for the tourist brand, such as self-improvement, sportsmanship, healthy living, etc. Furthermore, the constant presence of sports information in the national and international media would have a positive effect by increasing the presence of the brand, together with the more than 3.8 million followers of the different official social networks of the Gran Canaria club," Alamo noted.
For his part, Miguel Ángel Ramírez assured that this agreement “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, "As Gran Canaria is, find a platform through which we can 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 has displayed its brand in the last two editions of the World Travel Market in London. The yellow presence in London in 2022 translated into the collaboration agreement with Norwich City FC, “who are English canaries in yellow and green,” as Patricio Viñayo, general director of the entity, pointed out at the fair. This, in turn, led to a three-way agreement with Turismo de Gran Canaria and for the first time in history an English team wears the name of Gran Canaria on its kit.
Miguel Ángel Ramírez pointed out that the international fan “sees us as a friendly team, they associate us with South American football and are surprised when they get to know our Island. They put Gran Canaria on the map, thanks to UD, they are surprised by the talent of our footballers and the association football that we play.”
The agreement contemplates visibility in UD matches, through videos that will be broadcast in the stadium, on social networks, along with audiovisual branding material from Turismo de Gran Canaria, and in television broadcasts, since the tourist destination will be the sole sponsor of the posts published each match day, before, during and after it. Meanwhile, the English team will show off the Gran Canaria Turismo logo on its official kit, promotional inserts in all its matches, static advertising and on the video scoreboard, the celebration of a Gran Canaria day at the Norwich stadium; and also, among other initiatives, the opportunity to make four videos that were recorded with four Norwich players showing the tourist benefits of the Island stands out.
“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,” concluded the advisor.
