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Promotur Turismo de Canarias intends to turn paragliding into one of our selling points as part of the extreme sports that are closely linked to nature and good weather. The campaign “The Flying Islands” is being launched with that purpose in mind, with global champions of this sport who show how the weather conditions on the islands are ideal to do this sport all year round, and how this in turn can become an alternative holiday destination for hundreds of paragliders during the winter months and for those searching for somewhere else to enjoy their passion.

The campaign is based on audiovisual material which shows how to do this sport in a very educational manner. It also shows how to paraglide in different areas of the islands. In addition, professionals of this sport explain the specific conditions depending on the wind and the starting place. For instance, leeward and windward winds in La Palma; the breeze in La Gomera; the high and low pressure in Lanzarote; the drain phenomenon in El Hierro; the inversion in Tenerife; convergence in Fuerteventura; and the anticyclone of the Azores in Gran Canaria.

As well as these seven basic concepts, the pictures show the majestic landscape from an aerial perspective just like someone paragliding can see it, offering a different visual experience where the audience can feel as if he or she were flying over those unique spots themselves.

Educational resource of the islands’ landscapes as a stage

This video has been shown in federations and paragliding schools all over Europe and has been translated into English, so it has become an educational resource being used to explain basic concepts with the islands always in the background. The script was done by meteorologists and paragliding judges, and it has the support of one of the most highly renowned champions in this sport, Bruce Goldsmith, who is also the narrator of the English version of the video.

Meteorology is precisely the most complex part to understand. Therefore, it goes with a simple graphic support to help future paragliders learn difficult concepts. In addition, by watching the video they may understand how to control what goes on up in the air whilst flying.

“The Flying Islands” campaign has been shown and passed on in digital channels and social network profiles of champions, who are representatives in the world of paragliding, and who have reached as much 500,000 views, and have been shared by a significant number of paragliding schools, not only all over Europe, but also in South America and Asia, as well as for instance in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, India, South Africa and Australia, all of them countries with a high number of paragliders.

*This campaign is 85% co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).