Tenerife celebrates 10% jump in UK visitors

Tenerife has reported a 10.6% jump in UK visitors in 2011, the highest annual figure since the peak of 2008.

According to the figures released by the Tenerife Tourism Corporation, 1,658,315 holidaymakers visited from the UK last year.

The biggest jump was in September, which saw 34% growth year-on-year.

While winter 2010/2011 saw a 6.3% increase in tourist arrivals, last year"s summer period saw an increase of 21.2%.

The global figure for tourists to Tenerife in 2011 was 5,160,203, an increase of 6.8% year-on-year.

The UK is Tenerife"s number one market, covering 32.1% of the total number of tourists.

Pia Louw, travel trade industry director at the Tenerife Tourism Corporation, said: "We"re extremely pleased to see a come-back in British tourists, which demonstrates confidence is gradually being restored.

"Nonetheless, in such uncertain conditions and in such a highly competitive environment, we will continue to work hard to maintain our position as a top holiday choice for UK visitors, which represent our most important source market."

The Tenerife Tourism Corporation has launched a new tourism strategy, which will be put into practice over the next four years.

Carlos Alonso, vice-president of the Tenerife Island Government and Tourism Minister in Tenerife, explained: "In short, we will focus on regenerating tourist areas, innovating our product and services, and building closer ties with our partners. In terms of promotional activities, we will implement more online initiatives and boost our presence in social media."

by Bev Fearis