The Canary Islands intend to create tourism that is friendlier to senior visitors, who prefer longer stays and have greater purchasing power but are more sensitive to the climate and more concerned about safety on the spot.
By attracting more citizens over the age of 55, the Spanish islands plan to offer better conditions for these visitors, especially during the winter season. This could also work to their benefit as staying in Spain during the cold season indicates that they would have fewer gas bills to pay, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to Eurostat, the European Office for Statistics, a household in Spain consumes, on average, 44 per cent less energy than in Germany.
“Canarian tourism will carry out a communication offering peace of mind to Europeans, currently in economic and geopolitical uncertainty, promoting a more sustainable model of tourism in a safe destination and, in this specific case, favouring long stays that benefit the economy of the islands,” Yaiza del Castillo, Minister of Tourism of the Canary Islands, said.
There are nearly 152.5 million people over the age of 55, and this proportion is expected to increase even further as the EU population gets older. In Spain alone, senior citizens represent 26per cent of the GDP and 60 per cent of national consumption.
Moreover, citizens over the age of 55 per cent own up to 70 per cent of the wealth and control more than half of the spending on consumer goods. Moreover, the German Tourism Research Institute, FUR, points out that this category of the population is a gold mine for European tourism and one that will increasingly influence the travel market.
In 2019, nearly 131,000 seniors visited the Canary Islands, which from average spending of €2,866, increased to €3,149.
“If we want them to extend their vacation, we need to tell them more, and we need to achieve this through a process of reflection because a long stay requires more inspiration and information. This is why we have chosen to dedicate one minute per island because the objective is not to promote a short getaway, but a real moment of relaxation,” Minister Castillo pointed out.
This isn’t the first European country that has dedicated special focus to tourism from senior citizens, as Greece previously announced they would extend the tourism season beyond the summer season.
Moreover, the Tourism Minister of Greece, Vasilis Kikilias, revealed that Greece wants to attract more retirees to move to the Mediterranean country for an ‘easier winter.’
