Canary Islands Tourism is gearing up for its participation in Fitur 2024 following a year of record-breaking tourism turnover in 2023. In a press conference held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Jessica de León, the Councillor for Tourism and Employment, along with José Juan Lorenzo, the Managing Director of Canary Islands Tourism, presented the impressive achievements of the tourism sector.
De León expressed her satisfaction with the outstanding results, stating that “the balance could not be more positive.” She revealed that the Canary Islands welcomed over 16 million tourists in 2023, contributing to a remarkable turnover of 20 billion euros. When considering the internal tourism within the Canary Islands, which continues to flourish among the islands, this turnover reaches an impressive 22 billion euros, accounting for 10% of the overall tourism turnover.
In addition to these remarkable figures, de León highlighted the favorable trends in employment indicators. The affiliation in sectors related to tourism experienced notable growth, with a rise of more than 6%. Moreover, registered unemployment decreased by over 9% compared to December 2022.
The accommodation sector also demonstrated outstanding performance, with key indicators such as ADR (average daily rate) and hotel Revpar (revenue per available room) showing extraordinary growth compared to 2022. These figures reached 10.6% and 14.3%, respectively, up to November. Despite the inflationary environment in recent years, the results underscored a significant increase in profit margins for the accommodation sector.
De León emphasized the importance of the peninsular market, noting that it maintained its strength in 2023 with a 1% growth compared to the previous year, attracting nearly 1.95 million tourists. This level of loyalty and the strong commitment of airlines to the Canary Islands are evident, with the upcoming summer season set to have the largest connection in the history of the islands with the rest of the national territory.
The summer season, commencing in April, will see a 14% increase in the regular schedule offered by airlines compared to the same month in 2023, equating to more than 400,000 additional seats. Binter will be the airline with the most significant growth, adding 226,000 seats to the 188,000 seats it operated during the equivalent period in 2023. Iberia Express and Vueling will also reinforce their schedules, contributing over 120,000 and 70,000 new seats, respectively. Vueling has become the leading operator in the domestic market to the Canary Islands, offering more than 1.3 million seats for the upcoming summer season, accounting for 33% of the total.
Several new developments in airline routes were announced, including Binter’s four daily flights from Tenerife North and Gran Canaria to Madrid starting in February. Volotea’s connection between Bilbao and Tenerife South will also be extended to the summer season.
For Fitur 2024, Canary Islands Tourism will be represented by 352 companies, 27 more than in the previous year. Fifty of these companies will have individualized meeting spaces, compared to 35 the previous year. Additionally, the event will host 1,172 accredited agents, marking an increase of 400 from the previous year. The exhibition space has also expanded, with an additional 120 square meters added for conferences and presentations, capable of accommodating up to 30 people.
