Official figures released by the Tenerife Tourism Corporation show that the largest of the Canary Islands welcomed a total of 2,049,093 visitors from the UK last year – a 16.1% upsurge compared to 2015 – and the highest number ever recorded. The UK market retains its prevailing position as the largest source market to Tenerife, accounting for 36.6% of all visitors to the island.
The 20.4% increase in air capacity and the launch of new routes from the UK in 2016 played a key role in hitting a record-breaking number of British visitors to Tenerife. Arrivals to the island from UK airports saw an 18.2% growth.
Mr. Alberto Bernabé, Tourism Minister for the Tenerife Island Government, comments: “We are extremely pleased with the performance of the UK market last year, especially after the Brexit referendum. We would like to thank all of our valued partners – including UK tour operators, travel agencies and airlines – for their unconditional support throughout 2016 and for helping us to achieve these excellent results.
“Market forecasts allow us to remain optimistic for the present year as, according to ForwardKeys and Gfk, UK holiday bookings to Tenerife are predicted to experience an overall 11.4% increase in the first half of 2017,” adds Mr. Bernabé.
Tenerife also saw a record performance from the Irish market in 2016: a total of 93,501 visitors from Ireland travelled to Tenerife last year, a remarkable 17.9% increase compared to 2015. Air capacity from Ireland saw a 14.7% upsurge in 2016.
Mr. Carlos Alonso, President of the Tenerife Island Government, says: “One of our priorities is to maintain the competitiveness of Tenerife as a leading European tourist destination. We have invested almost €100 million to improve the island's infrastructure, including the refurbishment of tourist and coastal areas.”