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The Canary Islands’ improved flight connections over recent years, with new routes connecting the islands to a growing number of airports, have led international airlines to select the archipelago as one of the top five destinations in Europe in developing promotion strategies and marketing for the sector, as well as successfully launching new routes. Now Promotur Turismo de Canarias’ nomination is competing with Munich, Poland, Portugal and Madeira, for recognition as the best Routes Europe destination of the year which will be awarded today (Monday) in Belfast during the largest route development forum in Europe.

This nomination as finalists recognises the intense work that Turismo de Canarias has put into the archipelago to improve the flight connections between the islands and elsewhere. This improvement has mainly been boosted by tourism, which at the same time is the sector that will most benefit. It also impacts on the rest of the Canarian economy by opening it up both domestically and internationally, demonstrating the power of tourism as a driving force of the Canarian economy as a whole.

The most prestigious awards in the airline industry

The Routes Europe awards, which are awarded by airlines themselves to destinations and airports, are the most prestigious honours in the airline industry. In fact the island of Tenerife was already recognised as the best destination in Europe for marketing and attracting routes in 2013. Now the European air transport sector has also noticed the work carried out by Turismo de Canarias on behalf of all of the islands in the archipelago.

These efforts come as part of an active and continuous job in assisting in international air transport forums and maintaining ongoing dialogue with airlines. Co-branding campaigns have even been established with the carriers, as well as a collaboration framework with the operator of the Canary Islands’ airports, Aena, and not forgetting the Flight Development Fund initiative and its incentives for setting up new routes.

The announcement of these awards coincides with the main professional gathering of the sector held in Europe which the Canary Islands delegation is attending with the aim of promoting its market opportunities to airlines, especially with the offer of incentives aimed at establishing 24 new regular routes, as well as promoting the archipelago as a potential operations hub

There is a great deal of competition between destinations and airports to attract new airline routes, making close collaboration between the various agents involved very necessary in reaching the current situation for which they have now been recognised by the airlines themselves. The joint work carried out by the Regional Government of the Canary Islands and the Island Councils has led to successes such as the 18 new regular flights gained through the Flight Development Fund,  a funding tool which at the time was extremely innovative and has recently announced new incentives for the establishment of 24 additional routes. Other outcomes have been the establishment of a Vueling base on the islands and the insistence for airport taxes to make the island airports more competitive by offsetting costs arising from the remoteness and geography of the archipelago.