SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Inflation and the high prices of the tourist business do not deter the Canaries this holiday and, moved by the desire to leave the restrictions of the health pandemic behind, they are launching this summer to different destinations.
“A little bit of everything is being sold,” José Luis de La Rosa, manager of the Canary Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (ACAVyT) told Europa Press, pointing out that Asia, Central Europe, the Peninsula and inter-island getaways are the ‘star’ markets this summer, without forgetting cruise ships, already fully consolidated.
“It is a modality in which there are no surprises, you travel at a fixed price, you can see many destinations and without your wallet in hand, that gives you peace of mind,” he details, while stressing that in the travel agency subsector there are “very happy” with the prospects for this summer as they exceed those of 2019, the last summer without restrictions.
In the case of long-distance travel, he points out that Asia is the great preference of the Canarians and, without a doubt, Japan “is the star”, a trip that is not cheap but very attractive due to its culture, gastronomy and the fact that there was a lot of demand waiting since it was one of the last tourist destinations to reopen.
He also states that some “feedback” is being generated and there are Japanese tour operators interested in starting to open up a market with the islands.
New Zealand is another destination that is making its way this summer in the long-distance segment, an option in which customers are seeing a return to the travel agency and tour operator format.
“That client who did everything online and in pieces has returned looking for security and peace of mind with a tailor-made package, plus insurance for a small amount, he will have support and guarantees that he will take the link or the hotel is ready at the get there and it’s not more expensive,” he points out.
A great ally of long-distance travel has been the direct Tenerife-New York flight that United Airlines resumes this summer with a frequency of three weekly flights. “It is a flight that worked very well last summer and should be fixed all year because a direct flight is a point in favor of any destination,” says De la Rosa.
Inter-island trips “are very good” and are already traditional between the Canary Islands and Central Europe markets. It has had “a great awakening” in recent weeks and will be another of the ‘jewels in the crown’ in July, August and September, he says.
Another destination that is all the rage this summer is the Peninsula, thanks to the “revolution” that Binter’s commitment to regional tourism beyond the big cities has meant, with the advantage for the consumer that, thanks to the resident discount, it is not an expensive destination.
“The strategy has been a success and it will continue because they have new planes on order,” he says.
SAVINGS, FINANCING AND THE DESIRE TO TRAVEL
For now, he indicates, there is no slowdown in reservations and the desire to travel remains intact despite the rise in interest rates since there is still “savings” after the pandemic, “people need to go out and enjoy after being locked up” and they are also getting good offers via financing. “A window has been opened to travel even if you don’t have financial availability,” she says.
In fact, it indicates that “there are already people booking” for the summer of 2024, which shows that they are “learning to buy in advance” because “it guarantees a good price” and also the precise conditions that are sought for a trip.
For De la Rosa, this travel ‘boom’ is based on the fact that the Canary Islands are experiencing the “golden age” of air connectivity, with direct connections with many of the main tourist destinations and air hubs.
“Right now we have the flights we need and we have to take advantage of it because it closes the entire tourism value chain,” he stresses.
Although he recommends planning and buying in advance, there are always last-minute options for any type of traveler.
“In this world there is a general rule, never say no, let’s see what there is, something is always found, there are clients who come with an idea and others with a closed budget and ask you, where can I go?”, he stresses .
