SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Sep 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, and of Economy, Knowledge and Employment, Elena Máñez, held a meeting this Monday with the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation of Iceland, Ordís Kolbrún Reykfjör Gylfadóttir, with The aim of positioning the Canary Islands as a tourist and investment destination and a business hub.
In addition, the capacities of both companies and knowledge centers as potential partners to carry out joint projects in the business field, of digital R & D & I, were made known.
The Government participated in Reykjavik in a commercial and institutional mission to the country, organized by the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Gran Canaria and in which about fifteen Canarian businessmen participate, in order to promote opportunities for collaboration between both territories, mainly in terms of the digital economy and tourism.
The meeting with the Icelandic minister was also attended by the vice president of the Chamber, Santiago de Armas and the consul of Iceland in the Canary Islands, Javier Betancor, who conveyed the invitation to make a visit by the Icelandic Government to the islands so that They can learn about and delve into the possibilities of investment and development of actions that benefit both territories.
The delegation also held a work meeting and exchange of experiences with Icelandic businessmen organized by the country’s Chamber of Commerce.
In the words of Elena Máñez, “The Canary Islands have a lot of potential and we must put it in value with other regions that complement our growth.”
At the same time, he stressed the importance of fostering different symbiosis between companies, researchers and researchers, “to promote the attraction of businesses and make our islands known as a true digital paradise, to which is added our position as the ideal platform to access the African market “.
Thus, he pointed out that in this way it will contribute to “generating synergies, shared experiences and an ecosystem of talent that transcends borders.”
MORE CONNECTIVITY
For its part, Yaiza Castilla transferred the Canary Islands Tourism strategy to achieve a greater presence in the islands of markets in which there is a potential for growth and greater profitability, with the aim of diversifying markets, for which it requested the support of the Executive to promote greater connectivity, even more so since the Canary Islands are one of the favorite destinations of Icelanders in winter, while at the same time there is an interest of the Canaries to travel to this country.
In this sense, both Canary Islands councilors stated that in Iceland there are different points in common and other complementary points in fields such as tourism, which has become the main sector in this country, renewable energies, such as wind power ‘ offshore ‘and green hydrogen, as well as those linked to biodiversity or marine science.
“Our islands have an incipient innovative ecosystem, but with great international potential to offer, especially in regard to the capabilities of our companies linked to sectors such as tourism, the blue economy, the green or circular economy; or the potential and knowledge of our universities and R&D centers “, pointed out the Minister of Economy.
Yaiza Castilla, who praised the exemplary sustainability strategy that this country follows in its economic and social development, informed the minister that the candidacy to host the European Tourism Agency is being promoted from the Canary Islands.
FIRST CONGRESS OF TOURIST ISLANDS
As a previous event, he anticipated the celebration, next February in the archipelago, of the first ‘Congress of European Tourist Islands’ and although both initiatives are limited to the scope of the European Union, he invited the representative of the Icelandic Government to attend.
“The pandemic,” he said, “has made it clear that tourism is vital for the economies of European islands that are a world destination, therefore, I think it is necessary to take advantage of this situation to analyze proposals and common tourism policies for island territories in space. European, and always under the more than necessary prism of sustainable development, and in which Iceland is a great example in which we must look at ourselves “.
Regarding the importance of achieving higher demand quotas in this country, Yaiza Castilla clarified that “now more than ever” it is necessary to bet on a greater diversification of tourism, “even more so if it comes from countries with high spending at the destination. “like Iceland.
This island has traditionally been one of the countries with the highest salaries and the highest income per capita in the world (with more than 52,000 euros, compared to the European average that does not reach 30,000 euros or Spain with 23,700 euros).
“A standard of living that allows them to travel in search of sun and good weather, something they lack for much of the year, and which translates into an average cost per trip well above the average,” said the counselor of Sightseeing.
ALMOST 50,000 TOURISTS A YEAR
The Canary Islands, with about 50,000 Icelandic tourists a year, according to 2019 data, accounts for 14% of the trips abroad of the inhabitants of this country.
According to data from Promotur Turismo de Canarias, Icelanders’ travel spending is well above the average (1,821 euros compared to 1,136 euros), not only because of their higher daily expenditure (156.1 euros compared to 138, 9 euros on average), but also due to its longer average stay, which stands at 14 days compared to 9 for the average for countries.
In addition, only 35% use the tourist package (compared to 56% on average) and the choice of all-inclusive is also lower (19% compared to 35% average).
The Icelandic source market is not new for the Canary Islands, although its volumes have been moderate to date, in line with the size of its population.
In fact, around 14% of Icelanders flew to the Canary Islands in 2019, about 50,000 people, a figure that experienced a decline compared to 2018.
In any case, the Canarian market share is significant, which shows the knowledge and positive assessment they have of the islands. In fact, 70% repeat visits.
For his part, the vice president of the Chamber of Gran Canaria, Santiago de Armas, explained that this is the third face-to-face trade mission carried out by the Chamber of Gran Canaria after the pandemic and, in this sense, stressed the importance of recovering these international incursions “because there are many companies that want to go out to foreign markets.”
Along these lines, he pointed out that the commercial part of this mission is organized within the framework of the International Promotion Plan Program (PIP), a program co-financed by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria that allows the carrying out of foreign promotion actions.
Likewise, de Armas reiterated the interest of the Chamber of Gran Canaria in establishing institutional and commercial relations with other markets, the progressive reactivation of tourism and, in this case, Iceland could be an emerging market that complements the Nordic one.
The Chamber of Gran Canaria signed on Monday a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) with the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce, with the aim of executing various European programs, establishing a framework for cooperation between both institutions and business communities, which promotes exchanges trade between the two territories, strengthen working ties between both Chambers and expand cooperation between companies and organizations.
