With almost the first part of 2015 over, we are in a position to analyze the activity in Lanzarote or at least, discuss some parameters. I believe that the great result of 2014 generates great pressure for us to consolidate a volume of business that, we understand, is beginning to be important to maintain optimal health of the island's tourism industry.
We must remember that the year 2014 closed with an increase of 11.9% in tourist arrivals, placing us very close to 2.4 million, a really important figure, given our limited accommodation stock, the direct consequence of which is the high pressure per bed, which puts us in the top positions in the Canary Islands for this concept. Proof of this is that in 2014 we shattered some records at the national level related to the occupancy rate.
In parallel, the year 2014 also yielded very good records in terms of tourism spending, with an increase of 20.7%, with a global turnover of more than 2,500 million euros, a truly colossal figure. This significant rebound was also well above the Canary Islands average, an aspect also to be taken into account. In general, 2014 was a year difficult to match, not only at the Canary Islands level, but Spain as a destination showed great strength, reaching the highest records to date.
Coming from this scenario so favorable at the quantitative level, how to face the year 2015, when some factors will also play against us? We refer to the upward trend in fuel prices, the progressive tourist opening of Egypt or the deterioration of the Nordic economies, especially Norway, which has slowed down the tourist emitting capacity towards the Canary Islands.
The tourism marketing plan of Turismo Lanzarote for 2015 already warned that, compared to other years, the priority was focused on the "consolidation of volumes" and on improving the qualitative impact of tourism activity, being aware of the difficulty, not only to grow, but even to stay at the same levels as in 2014. To do this, we would put all our impetus into deepening the lines of tourism product that are part of our portfolio, such as European Sport Destination, Saborea Lanzarote, Lanzarote Film Commission or Sustainable Product, of which we have recently obtained the Biosphere ResponsibleTourism certification, endorsed by GSTC (Global SustainableTourism Council), belonging to the World Tourism Organization, which constitutes a remarkable boost to the project. The objective was clear, to accentuate the importance of the multiplier effect that each tourist would have on the island in terms of economic impact on the destination, also addressing the challenge of a better municipal distribution of spending. For this, we understand that tourism products can play a decisive role, generating activity in those municipalities outside the accommodation reality of the island, at least, within the existing regulatory framework, at the expense of the adaptation that certain accommodations make to the recently approved Law of Vacation Housing Rental. In addition to all the above, Turismo Lanzarote intends to maintain all the promotional tension exerted in recent years, giving continuity to commercial ties with the main tourism agents in Europe, in addition to accelerating the presence in all online formats and social networks.
Well, as we said, we are now in a position to discern whether the calculations we made at the beginning of the year have been consummated or, on the contrary, the year is giving us a completely unexpected scenario. Initially, we affirm that the year is progressing slightly better than expected, without deviating too much from the script. We base this on the following:
The objective of boosting tourism spending already has a first, positive reflection: according to ISTAC, tourism spending per day per person, corresponding to the first quarter of 2015, has rebounded to €122.85, which represents 2.41%. At the quantitative level, we have not done badly either, highlighting especially the data of tourists in April, where Lanzarote was the only "Canarian tourist" island that handled upward data, specifically 4.25%. So far this year, the period January-April, in an interannual comparison, Lanzarote has grown by 1.55%, receiving almost 12,000 more tourists. Regarding the behavior of our tourism markets, an aspect that is always very interesting, we highlight the push of Germany (+29.4%), France (+33.4%) or Italy (+7.5%), socio-economically very important countries, where Lanzarote is beginning to define an increasingly clear positioning and where Turismo Lanzarote is concentrating a good part of its promotional efforts. In British and national tourism, our main markets, we have had a response practically equivalent to the same period of 2014. As a negative note, in addition to the aforementioned Nordic markets, the case of Holland stands out with a strong decline close to 30%, but which also suffers in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, a fact that at least dispels an intrinsic problem of the island. However, we are confident in an improvement in the data for the summer months of this market, the fourth in importance at the international level.
In addition to trying to maintain this good tonic of response from our sources of tourists, as we have said, the tourism strategy is aimed at enhancing the focus towards the consumer, to develop more and more strongly the concept of customerexperience (*), oriented to the search for maximum satisfaction of our visitors. To this end, Turismo Lanzarote strengthens ties with the business sector, formalizing integration agreements with the association of sports companies, included in EuropeanSportsDestination, with the group of MICE entities, promotes the SICTED project (Tourism Quality System in Destination) and prepares the incorporation of the Saborea Lanzarote product club or the Diving Centers Association. We understand that this formula of conjunction of interests, defined within the Society for the Promotion of Exterior of Lanzarote (SPEL), where the collegiation of decisions and the co-financing of marketing plans are the hallmarks, is the one that can best guarantee the cohesion and competitiveness of the destination.
I also think it is pertinent to mention the alignment in the strategy of the network of Tourist Centers, where the application of its strategic and business plan, not only begins to yield very positive economic results, but is also playing an increasingly important role in optimizing the tourist experience, in addition to a reunion with the local society. Undoubtedly, the current dynamization of these unique spaces will also contribute significantly to the improvement of the global tourism impact on the island, especially with the reopening of the Jameos del Agua auditorium.
(*) The "Deloitte Report on Expectations 2015" referring to the tourism spectrum points, among other factors, to sustainability, the implementation of new technologies and the importance of customer experience (customerexperience), as keys to the success of Spanish tourism in the current year.
But not everything has a positive reading. We are still concerned about the immobility of Aena (infrastructure and operating hours of our airport), our port deficiencies that hinder the full development of cruise activity on the island or the delay of some projects linked to the plans for modernization and tourism renovation, necessary for a destination marked by the passage of half a century of full tourism activity.
Given all the above, the culmination and development of tourism and promotional projects, the deepening of product lines or to face with the best guarantees the main obstacles we have identified, I believe that the best recipes we can apply are inter-institutional cooperation, public-private collaboration and continuity in the work done in recent years.
Héctor Fernández Manchado, Managing Director of Turismo Lanzarote and CEO of SPEL
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