Subsidies on flights and a major advertising campaign in 14 European countries to extend the season and attract tourists beyond the summer, until after Christmas. The strategy of the Canary Islands, the archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean Autonomous Community of Spain, promises to be successful.

The Ministry of Tourism of the Islands has allocated 5 million euros to restore air links. As reported by the sector magazine The Travel Agency, Yaiza Castilla Herrera, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Canary Islands, underlined "the need for a system that compensates for the disadvantage factors in terms of attracting air traffic and that help to increase the entry of national and international visitors ". A clear and effective position, applicable to any land surrounded by the sea in the world.

Airlines that ensure domestic flights, from the European Union and from neighboring third countries to the Canary Islands, can apply for access to subsidies, managed by the public company Turismo de Islas Canarias, until 20 October. "After the outbreak of the pandemic, the return to normal was not easy due to travel restrictions", explained the minister, "the airlines are in a difficult financial situation due to a lack of activity, so it is foreseeable that the their attention now moves to the most profitable routes. For this reason, we prioritize an aid system that compensates for the archipelago's disadvantages in attracting air traffic and contributes to increasing the entry of national and international visitors ”.

Applications must be submitted through the Canary Islands Government website. The total amount of the grant awarded to airlines - as the website explains - will be calculated per passenger seat, with a maximum of 6 euros available for international flights and up to 3 euros for domestic flights. The maximum amount that each company can obtain is 600 thousand euros.

Meanwhile, Turismo de Islas Canarias has launched a major marketing campaign in 14 markets, which will last until 15 December, in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium. , Switzerland and Poland.

It is called "The other winter", "El otro invierno" ("The other winter") and the creative concept - they explain - is to highlight "the most important value of the destination in the winter season, the climate, in a moment in where tourists need to escape the cold and look for well-known destinations where they can break away from the routine. After a period of great emotional stress due to the pandemic, potential visitors are trying to get back to their habits. For this reason, we provide experiential values ​​that allow us to experience quality moments with the excellent climate and the beaches of the archipelago, while the cold is the protagonist in the rest of Europe ".

For the months from November to March, operators have scheduled around 7,860,000 seats, 660,000 more seats than before the pandemic. The Canary Islands are currently connected to 140 destinations and the regular air capacity for the winter is already 9.2% higher than that of the pre-Covid winter. “In addition to the growth from the British and German markets, the most important, there is also an increase in the Netherlands, which doubled the weekly flights, and in France, which increased from 46 to 69 weekly flights”.

According to the data of the European Travel Commission in the last “Sentiment Survey on Intra-European and Domestic Travel” there is an increase of 15 points in the travel intention index, which is already at 68%; the percentage of people who refuse to travel due to the pandemic is also decreasing (16%). 53% of European citizens plan a trip to another EU country, 38% are oriented towards a holiday of sun and sea, and 13% prefer a destination that offers nature and outdoor activities. These travelers - again according to the report - also have a greater budget availability, with an average of 595 euros more to spend on holidays than in the pre-Covid era.

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