The travel agencies of the Canary Islands face a new stage of growth marked by specialization, personalized advice, and collaboration among the different players in the tourism industry.
This was the main conclusion of the III Annual Meeting of the Canary Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (ACAVyT), held at Finca Las Molinas, in Los Realejos (Tenerife), an event that brought together professionals, institutional representatives, and collaborating companies to reflect on the present and future of the sector.
The III ACAVyT Meeting also served to highlight the economic and social contribution of travel agencies in the Canary Islands. According to the report on the socioeconomic impact of the sector, prepared with the collaboration of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Ministry of Tourism and Employment, agencies contributed in 2023 nearly 3% of the regional Gross Domestic Product and generated more than 7,300 jobs directly, indirectly, and induced in the Islands.
The study also highlights that for every euro of direct activity generated by a travel agency, more than three additional euros are produced in the Canary economy, reflecting the driving effect that the sector has on activities related to accommodation, transport, cultural offerings, and leisure.
Likewise, the joint turnover of the agencies reached 1,359 million euros and their activity contributed more than 101 million euros in tax collection.
In a context of constant transformation of the tourism market, participants agreed that the differential value of travel agencies lies increasingly in experience, proximity to the client, and the ability to offer professional advice adapted to the new demands of the traveler.
During the inauguration of the meeting, Ignacio Poladura, president of the Canary Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (ACAVyT), highlighted the evolution that the sector has undergone in recent years and the consolidation of agencies as highly specialized companies.
"Travel agencies have shown an enormous capacity for adaptation. Today our value is not only in intermediation, but in advice, experience, and proximity to the client. This evolution is what allows us to continue being an essential piece within Canary tourism."
Poladura also highlighted "the sustained growth that the sector has been experiencing since the pandemic", with an increase in both employment and the number of points of sale, and stressed the recovery of the value of physical agencies as "spaces of trust for the consumer".
"For quite a few years now, we have been increasing the number of employees and the number of points of sale," he added. Currently, the Canary Islands have around 400 points of sale, of which nearly half are part of ACAVyT.
The president of ACAVyT also announced favorable prospects for the summer season and assured that tourist demand continues to evolve positively.
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