The Canary Islands will close this year 2022 with a tourist turnover of 19,000 million euros, which represents an increase of 2,000 million compared to the last pre-pandemic year, 2019, a fact that consolidates the recovery of the sector after this health crisis.
Although it is true that the number of visitors has decreased by 4% compared to 2019 -all according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands-, a reactivation has been established that already began in 2021 with an increase of 60% of the tourism GDP compared to the year nineteen, according to an Impactur study.
A recovery started in 2021
The report "Study of Economic Impact of Tourism Impactur Canarias 2021", -prepared jointly by Turismo de Canarias and Exceltur- has determined that the tourism GDP in the Canary Islands in 2021 amounted to 9,420 million euros, which represents 60.4% of the levels of 2019 (6,184 million euros less) and 36.8% above the records of the year 2020, with an advance of 2,535 million.
The recovery was remarkable from July and August, with an advance of 72% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2019, and 95% in the last quarter of the year and the beginning of the winter season 2021-2022, and most of the arrivals came mainly from the peninsular, French, Belgian and Italian markets, which joined the good response from the German market.
In 2022 this improvement has been maintained, especially from the second quarter, so that the year will close with a decrease of around 4% in visitor numbers, but with an improvement in turnover, estimated at around 19,000 million euros, 2,000 million more than in 2019, according to the Department of Tourism Intelligence, Planning and Connectivity of Turismo de Islas Canarias.
The beginning of the recovery of international demand in 2021 was not so much based on the influx (international tourists were 59.8% less than in 2019) but on the improvement of the stay (10.1 days compared to 9.4) and the average expenditure at the destination (92.9 euros compared to 84.2).
4% more support to the sector in 2021
For its part, spending linked to proximity tourist trips made by Canarians to destinations in the islands was 12.9% less in 2021 than in 2019. However, Impactur highlights the work of the Canary Islands institutions to minimize the losses of activity of up to 15,000 million from March 2020 to the end of 2021.
Measures were promoted to alleviate liquidity problems, subsidies to cover the IBI of tourist accommodation establishments and measures to stimulate demand through the tourist voucher and aid to connectivity, and the regional and local public spending to support the tourism sector was 4% higher than that made in 2019.
The research presented indicates that now is the time to move towards "a tourism model in balance with socio-environmental sustainability and with the greatest return and prosperity for the citizens of the Canary Islands", which requires "an optimal and shared management with the private sector of the 332.8 million euros from the Next Generation Funds of the European Union planned for the Canary Islands for the period 2021-2026".
