Canary Islands heads for World Travel Market as British tourist numbers rise

A RISE of 2% in British tourists visiting the Canary Islands despite airline connections dropping by 9.3% for low season has spurred authorities on to try to maintain or improve on this success – and part of its strategy means hosting a stand at London's World Travel Market.

One of the planet's biggest and most prestigious tourism fairs, the World Travel Market (WTM) kicks off on Monday this week in the UK capital and runs for three days.

It will cost the Canary Island regional tourist board €778,000 to attend, including the costs of setting up its 770-square-metre (nearly 2,503 square feet) pavilion with its numerous individual booths for companies, but this is considered to be an investment for a region that lives largely from the holiday industry, of which British visitors make up the largest national group.

About 500 companies linked to the region's tourism industry will rent stands within the pavilion, and attractions advertised will include two major nature reserves – the volcanic Teide National Park being one of these – and the huge aquarium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as well as a food-tasting stand.

The tiny island of La Gomera, whose tourism mostly comes from day-trippers based in Tenerife, will have a larger slot this year, and plenty of networking – one of the main reasons for attending international tourism fairs – is on the cards.

Last year, at least 20 meetings were set up between the regional government of the Canary Islands and major tour operators, media sources and service providers, and so far around that number has already been confirmed for the 2017 edition, says head of tourism Isaac Castellano.

The regional minister has raised concerns about the British holiday market, particularly given the 'uncertainty' surrounding Brexit, the likelihood of the price of trips to the Canary Islands becoming more expensive for Brits due to the fall of the sterling against the euro, and the collapse of major industry players.

Monarch, the now-defunct airline and tour operator, typically transported 520,000 British tourists a year to the islands of the 670,000 places available every summer, and Castellano says there is 'no clear alternative' as yet.

But his department is in talks with British Airways, Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2 in an attempt to cover some of the routes formerly used by Monarch.

So far, Jet2 has announced a further 213,757 airline seats from the UK to the Canaries this winter – an increase of 87.6% - although more are needed to fill the gap left by Monarch.

Despite Brexit, the Canary Islands welcomed over four million British holidaymakers between January and September alone – a hike of 10.5% on last year's figures – and the region's beach season does not end there, since its autumn and winter tend to be much milder than on the mainland.

These figures, combined with a forecast increase in German visitors – who are expected to rise by around 9% thanks to a greater number of airline connections – could mean the islands breaking all records by the end of the year.

Last year was exceptionally buoyant for the Canary Islands, with historic tourist numbers, and 2017 is expected to be even better.

Based upon this success, the region expects to create at least another 10,000 jobs in the accommodation and catering industries within the next year.