The high demand for travelers registered since April, intensified by the good booking forecasts for the central months of summer, will allow Canarias to close the year with the arrival of about 14.2 million tourists, about 900,000 less than in 2019, but with a higher turnover than in that pre-pandemic year.
As explained last Tuesday in the regional Parliament by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, visitors spend more money than before on their vacations, so in 2022 their disbursement could exceed 17.1 billion euros, compared to 16.968 million in the pre-pandemic era, although this amount will have to be deflated by the inflation generated.
“After two years of pandemic and confinement, Europeans are not thinking about anything else but traveling and spending the savings generated during confinement, despite the fact that there are more and more signs that anticipate bad times,” the counselor said.
Air connections have increased by 16% in Lanzarote
In order to travel to the archipelago, it has in its favor the great commitment made by airlines in the summer season. “The programming of regular seats to the Canary Islands for this period is almost 11 million, which represents 10.1% more than in the same months of 2019,” explained the counselor, who stressed that the air capacity data are positive for all the islands. The increase is especially striking in La Palma, with 35.4% more seats, followed by Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with increases of 16% and 15%, respectively.
In addition to this greater air capacity in all the islands, Castilla stressed that progress continues to be made in the diversification of markets, thanks to the incorporation of 17 new routes. “We are growing more in what we call other markets, with 24% more and an offer of 2.5 million seats with countries such as France, Italy or Portugal, among others,” explained the counselor.
To these positive summer data, which will be “a bubble in the travel market”, as defined by Castilla, will be followed, however, by the threats of winter, in the form of rising energy prices and rising inflation.
Despite the difficulties that threaten the return of summer, the existing connectivity data to date remain positive, as the air capacity for the winter (November-March) offered with the Canary Islands is 9.6 million seats, i.e. about 2 million more than in the pre-covid winter. In any case, given the prevailing economic instability, it is more than foreseeable that this difference will be reduced.
However, at the moment, bookings for the winter, according to the data handled by Turismo de Canarias, are 22% below the 2019 level for these same dates.
“Nor is it a bad figure if we take into account that the pandemic has resulted in a shorter-term planning of vacations. Although, also, on the part of the offer, the conditions of the reservations have been made as flexible as possible, being able to cancel them at any time without additional cost,” explained Yaiza Castilla. These are, in short, facts that make it “very difficult to anticipate what the 2022/2023 winter season will finally be like”.
To face this situation, Turismo de Canarias is working on a strategy to be launched in October to attract long-stay tourism, specifically the ‘silver plus’ and ‘remote workers’ segments. “When something happens, windows of opportunity always open and we believe that it is a good time to position ourselves strongly as a long-stay destination, which has a standard of living that is more attractive for certain incomes with more time available and profiles of workers who can develop their work remotely and with all European standards,” said Castilla.
