Gran Canaria confirms in Miami the interest of North American clients in discovering the island destination

 

Gran Canaria Tourism celebrated, with “a lot of receptivity”, according to the advisor Carlos Álamo, the second of the two days scheduled this week in its 'roadshow' through the United States, called 'Gran Canaria Discovery Summit'. With this commercial trip, the island's tourism sector, with the presence of the main hotel chains, aims to connect directly with the 'decision makers' or top managers of the tourism issuing market of the North American country, with the intention of enabling commercial and institutional agreements between tourism agents and hotel groups and businessmen of Gran Canaria.

 

The second day was held in the city of Miami with the attendance of about 40 people, from 30 different companies, including representatives of agencies, tourist agents, airlines, tour operators and companies in the sector. This meeting was held on the morning of Thursday, December 14, at the AC Marriott Miami Brickell Hotel and, as occurred on the day in New York, Gran Canaria Tourism had the participation, through a program of meetings and workshops, of representatives of tourism companies on the Island such as Meliá, Seaside, Livvo, Barceló Hotels, Bohemia, Turisbeds and Lopesan. 

 

The Minister of Tourism of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria assured that the contact with the North American industry has been “more than satisfactory and we trust that this can translate into a greater presence of North American clients. We have connected with the main investors and representatives of the US tourism sector and they have reiterated their interest, so we returned to Gran Canaria with very interesting projects to develop and explore the potential of a client of great interest to the sector and that would surely expand. the turnover and profitability of our destination.”

 

 

The event was attended by the director of the Spanish Tourism Office in Miami, Elvira Marcos Salazar, who highlighted the enormous increase in travelers from the North American country after the pandemic and their interest in new destinations in Europe, among which is the Canary Islands. . “Gran Canaria has a lot of potential due to the diversity it has, with a connection with the Latin world, which is cultural and linguistic, in the case of Spain, and which with the Canary Islands is even familiar in Miami and Florida, due to the descendants of the emigrants. ", he noted before highlighting the cruise product as one of the most in-demand for the North American customer with a notable increase in the last year.  

 

Among the advantages observed by the American market specialists present at the Miami event is the interest in discovering new destinations within Europe, either as part of a route with the continent or exclusively in the Archipelago, and, in addition, the need to discover alternatives to the options in the Caribbean that the client from the east coast of the United States and, especially those from the southern states, already know and, therefore, there is a desire to book trips that involve new experiences. The most popular option for this client, after the Caribbean, is on the West coast or in Hawaii, but the trip involves a greater distance from Gran Canaria.

 

“There are many people in Florida with Canarian ancestors and it is demonstrated in the shared vocabulary. I think it is still unknown, but it has the advantages of the Caribbean but also has a variety of culture, leisure and tourism offerings that are not found in Caribbean destinations. Second, the gastronomy is spectacular and the weather, which you can't imagine being so good in that spring summer with perfect temperature. Gran Canaria has a lot. The main thing now is to make all this known to a post-pandemic client who is looking for new destinations and new experiences,” explained Javier Pérez, director of World Travel Expo and based in Miami.  

 

Carlos Álamo explained that the North American market is at a time of great activity, encouraged by the current difference between the dollar and the euro. Furthermore, almost all the professionals we have met in the US have agreed that many North American tourists have Europe as their main destination, but they have already been to the cities that are the continent's main tourist attractions and are now interested in integrating the island destination as a stopover of several days or with a stay longer than a week. The products most in demand by this client and that Miami businessmen prioritize are those that have to do with nautical tourism, which prioritizes the practice of sports such as golf or scuba diving and fishing and, of course, cultural and gastronomic tourism. . Those attending the Miami meeting also showed great interest in learning more about the attributes of the destination for the LGTBI client in which we are very strong. 

 

“We have all these potentials, but without a doubt what the tourist agents have highlighted most to us is the historical and family bond. We have noticed an affection that exists with the history we share. I am convinced that if we continue working this line, many Americans will come to the Island and that will serve to build customer loyalty with higher spending,” the counselor analyzed. 

 

Some of the companies that attended the Gran Canaria event in Miami were: Bru Med Travel, Continental Travel, Jerry Allen Travel Agency, New Way Travel, Star Soireem, Skyscanner, First in Service Travel, Yes Travel, Caeribbean Portal, De Viajes, Venus Travel, Aeroparadise Travel, G & Y Travel, Bello Caribe, Gallo Travel, Universal Travel, Hearts Set On Travel, House of Travel of Miami, Quo Vadis and RT Travel of America, among others.

 

 

The event repeated the script of the day held in New York, held on Tuesday, December 12, as the first stop on the commercial trip of Gran Canaria Tourism and businessmen from the sector located in Gran Canaria. The direct air route of the United Airlines airline between Newark airport, New Jersey, and the island of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, together with connectivity via Madrid or Barcelona, ​​presents the opportunity to initiate a strategy to address the US tourism market. This new route facilitates the attraction of one of the main markets in the world, both due to the number of Americans seeking to discover new destinations, as well as their spending capacity. 

 

Discover Gran Canaria

 

The Gran Canaria Discovery Summit featured a presentation of the destination's capabilities and attributes by the managing director of Gran Canaria Tourism, Pablo Llinares. This conveyed to businessmen the attributes, certainties and advantages of betting on the destination and tourist brand of Gran Canaria, and was supported by images of the Island in all its natural splendor with the titles 'Gran Canaria Inédita', filmed without presence human during the months of confinement due to the health pandemic; the award-winning 'A story island', and the video corresponding to the campaign titled 'Gran Canaria, a lot to live'. The three videos were liked by the audience who, after the presentation, agreed to highlight that the key to attracting the North American market is promotion and information campaigns. “You just have to know the island of Gran Canaria, its history, culture and nature, to start counting reservations,” said more than one.

 

North American businessmen were also interested in the capacity of the Port of Las Palmas and the density of cruise passengers. In 2022, the Island received 489.714 tourists through this route and manages the mobility of another 1,488.867 passengers. The Tourism Manager of Gran Canaria reported that it is the most important Port in the Archipelago, a leader in the Mid-Atlantic space and is among the five most important in Spain both in volume and in the variety of operations it manages. In addition, it is connected to 140 destinations and operates regularly with 30 African countries through 70 ports.

 

In conclusion, the manager concluded his presentation by proposing the reason for choosing Gran Canaria, with strengths such as its quality of life, its good climate throughout the year, having a large city and an island society that is cosmopolitan. and open, an excellent transport network, direct international flights, first-class healthcare if needed and world-class services in terms of tourist infrastructure, with a high-quality accommodation facility. 

 

The Gran Canaria Tourism event concluded with a workshop in which Gran Canaria companies were able to meet with those invited to the event to establish relationships and capture business volume for Gran Canaria.