T E N E R I F E ’ S O N LY Issue 676
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W E E K LY N E W S PA P E R
29 October 2010 - 04 November 2010
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Tourism on the up Foreign visitor figures increase - natural landscapes proving more of an attraction TENERIFE showed an increase of 3.27% in the number of tourists staying for the summer season, compared with last year, totalling 1,658,583 in all. The figures are collated from ‘Incoming Tourism Statistics’, prepared by the Cabildo and reviewed by the Research Department of Tourism Tenerife. If we look at the place of origin of the tourists, it highlights the favourable evolution of foreign tourism, with a growth of 7.84% and a figure of 1,007,796 tourists staying. The data reflects a very good performance of the leading markets. The British, with 496,436 housed this summer, recorded a significant increase of 6.84% compared to last year. The German market saw 153,392 tourists, up 1% from 8.77 the previous season. Other markets also produced favourable results France (+12.5%), Belgium (+10,21%), Italy (+9,25%) and Russian and Eastern Europe (+34%), markets that are consolidated in Tenerife. Unlike tourists, domestic customers (those from mainland Spain and island) have registered a negative behaviour. A figure of only 650,787 Spanish visited Tenerife during the summer months, representing a decrease of 3.08%. However, despite the summer, the market builds up a positive balance in the first nine months of the year. In Tenerife in the summer there were a total of 12,326,955 nights spent, 2.43% over the previous year. The occupancy rate
stood at 57.4% (+6.33%) and length of stay of our visitors was 7.43 days on average (0.6 points). The South, with 1,323,227 stays, maintained the positive trend that began in late winter of last year, an increase of 6.02%. In contrast, the situation of the North is negative, a decrease in the volume of visitors by 8.81% with a total count of a mere 278,439 tourists. In the first nine months of the year the island has seen a total of 3,598,574 tourists staying, representing an
increase of 1.35%. Tenerife Tourism Features Interestingly the average age of our visitors is around age 40, according to data provided by the Inbound Tourism Survey of the Cabildo of Tenerife for the last summer season. During these months there has also been an increase in family tourism, which is now at 21 percent of the total. The tourist who visited Tenerife this summer is slightly more active than the previous year. Of our visitors 60.5 percent engaged in some type of activity dur-
ing their holiday as in visit to a theme park, whale watching and hiking, which remain the most frequented by visitors.
The use of the Internet to organise their holiday in Tenerife is now routine among our visitors and 8 out of 10 tourists use this
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tool when planning their trip. Currently, 40.5 percent of our visitors online shop for travel services, almost 25 percent more than last summer. On the other hand, according to the study by Turismo de Tenerife in relation to the island’s tourism image among its customers, the experience of travel to Tenerife improves upon previous expectations. The natural landscape of the island is the main factor that affects this improvement but at the same time surprises and delights the visitor with the climate and atmosphere of friendliness and hospitality. Except for the weather, which is a determining factor for the attraction for our tourists, natural landscapes have come to exert a decisive influence on the choice of the island as a holiday destination, ahead of the beaches and the sea. Hospitality of Tenerife and a friendly atmosphere are also an important attraction for tourists, as with satisfaction with a quality accommodation network, the desire for relaxation and tranquility or to visit family and friends. The study finds that nearly 94% of tourists visiting the island recommend it.