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.
