10 million air seats scheduled to the Canary Islands for 2023/2024 winter season

The Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, stated yesterday in the Parliament of the Canary Islands that the data regarding tourist activity for the upcoming winter season is “very positive”, with almost 10 million scheduled air seats to the islands, and an increase in bookings.  

• The Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, announced that the archipelago could close 2023 with a record turnover, exceeding 19 billion euros
• The number of seats for this winter will increase by 9.5% compared to the same season last year, and bookings are also on the rise

“From the Ministry, we face the future of the sector with optimism from this beginning of the year in which the Canary Islands will continue to lead the tourism recovery,” said de León during her first intervention before the plenary session of the Regional Chamber. In this way, the winter season (W23/24) will maintain the positive trend that has been registered during the first half of 2023.

According to the counselor, for the winter season, which runs from November 2023 to March 2024, more than 9.6 million air seats have been scheduled to the Canary Islands, which is 7.6% more than a year ago, and 33.5% more than in the winter of 2019. In addition, the average price of hotel accommodation has increased by 25% compared to 2019, which translates into greater tourist spending at the destination.

“If these trends are consolidated, the Canary Islands could close 2023 breaking the tourist record it achieved in 2017, reaching 16.2 million visitors, and achieve, at the same time, a historic turnover figure, with 19 billion euros”, pointed out the counselor.

Although the data projected for this winter invites us to be optimistic, de León assured that the ministry does not forget "the risks that threaten our main economic activity." Among them, she referred to the difficult economic situation that Germany and the United Kingdom are going through, key markets in the Canary Islands, which is added to the entry of the Canary Islands into the emissions market as of January 1 and the increase proposed by Aena which, in her opinion, it will “raise the price of plane tickets for a consumer who is increasingly sensitive to the final price of their trips, reducing our competitiveness compared to other destinations that are not subject to these taxes, such as Egypt or Tunisia.”

Faced with the entry of the Canary Islands into the emissions market, de León wanted to take advantage of her intervention in Parliament to request the support of all parliamentary groups, in order to form a common front before Europe that ensures that the Canary Islands are exempt from these taxes.

Before the parliamentary, the counselor highlighted that tourism generates 32% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Autonomous Community, 36% of all jobs in the Archipelago and 35% of the total taxes collected.