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The first meetings held within the framework of the World Travel Market, one of the most important tourism fairs in the world, which is being held in the capital of the United Kingdom since Monday, November 7, confirm "the good figures for the entry of British tourists that the island of Lanzarote is experiencing in recent months".
This is what they emphasize from the Cabildo of Lanzarote, after learning, "for example, the impressions and intentions of the TUI group, one of the main British tour operators that work with the Lanzarote destination and that includes the Thomson and First Choice brands".
According to the Corporation, the tour operator has proposed an increase of 13 percent upwards for its winter program. Similarly, in the meeting held on Monday morning by the Vice President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and Councilor for Tourism, Ástrid Pérez, and the Managing Director of the Lanzarote Tourism Board, Héctor Fernández, with the representative of TUI, Oliver Sylvester Westwood, it was recalled that the summer season had closed with an increase of 7 percent. What's more, there is even talk that for next summer 2012 there will be an increase in capacity of 10 percent.
"The figures are positive - said the Councilor for Tourism, Ástrid Pérez - but we have to continue working on promotion. We cannot relax and we must continue to demonstrate that we are a competitive destination and that we have a lot to offer".
"The fair starts very well"
For his part, the president of the Island Council, Pedro San Ginés, stressed that "the fair is starting very well. The meetings that are being held corroborate the good moment that the English market is going through". In this way, San Ginés pointed out that the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero, had stated during his opening speech that "although the British market has decreased its reservation levels by 6 percent worldwide, those of the Canary Islands have increased by 11 percent compared to last year".
As with TUI, the forecast of slots from Thomas Cook confirms the good moment of Lanzarote with the British market. In fact, within the European Sports Destination project, the Tourism Board held an important meeting with the nautical brand of this tour operator, Neilson, which, although they do not yet work with Lanzarote, are interested in finding accommodation establishments on the island that can adapt to the specifications they require when developing nautical activities.
Beyond the British market
The World Travel Market goes far beyond the reinforcement of the British market. "We must take advantage - says Ástrid Pérez - to establish contacts with other markets such as the Scandinavian or the French".
In this regard, the island officials expressed their satisfaction after the meeting with the Swedish tour operator Solresor, which on October 7 began its 2011-2012 winter season with positive forecasts for the sector. Solresor has been working with Lanzarote for several years, although only during the winter months and this year has experienced an increase of 40 percent compared to last year.
Its representative, Niklas Palm, stressed to the Lanzarote officials that the tour operator's program for Lanzarote consists of its own 189-seat Stockholm-Mälmo-Lanzarote plane (7/10/2011 - 27/04/2012) and 80 seats from Gothenburg, on a flight shared with Apollo (4/11/2011 - 20/4/2012).
During the first day of the World Travel Market, the calendar of sporting events grouped under the umbrella of the European Sports Destination brand and information on each and every one of the centers that make up the Network of Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo of Lanzarote were also handed out at each of the meetings held. The students of the Tahíche School of Tourism were also present at the fair, who during these days will be in charge of distributing the relevant information to promote the island of Lanzarote throughout the Fair.
Turismo Lanzarote also held meetings with Topflight, EasyJet, Monarch (awarded the Isla de Lanzarote 2011 Prize during the institutional event of World Tourism Day) and Karavel.
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