MELIÁ IN TENERIFE: A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

The Canary Islands are about to end the best year for tourist arrivals in its history, reaching a total of 16 million visitors after annual increases close to one million visitors and improvements in every other figure.

In addition to its extraordinary location, climate and natural beauty, the Canary Islands have benefited from the favourable macroeconomic environment and the fundamental solidity of its tourism industry. The islands are more easily accessible by air, and in recent years, a complex geopolitical environment has reduced the competitiveness of traditional competitors such as Tunisia, Egypt or Turkey and made the Canary Islands a safe and convenient alternative.

Meliá Hotels International, a global leader in resort hotels, has had hotels in the Canary Islands since the 1970s, and now has 16 Meliá, Sol by Meliá and Gran Meliá hotels with almost 5.000 rooms on the Islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Palma. The company is particularly strong in Tenerife, where it has 8 hotels with almost 2,500 rooms and employs 1,450 people.

Aware of the need to take advantage of the good times to promote major projects, Meliá remains committed to enhancing quality, adding luxury products that can transform destinations such as the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, opened in 2009, or the recently announced Meliá Hacienda del Conde in Buenavista del Norte, an ambitious resort and golf project that aims to boost travel to a spectacular part of the Tenerife coast off the beaten tourist track. Tenerife is also part of the intense renovation and repositioning strategy Meliá has been working on throughout Spain and the Mediterranean, including the extensive reform and upgrade to five stars of the Meliá Jardines del Teide after an investment of more than 6.5 million euros. The company has also made significant investments in the renovation and rebranding of its hotels in Lanzarote (Meliá Salinas) and Fuerteventura, (Sol Beach House Fuerteventura) among others.

Profitable and sustainable destination

The commitment to quality in Tenerife has yielded excellent results. Hotel RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) increased by 45% from 2014 to 2107, and the high season has been extended, allowing average annual occupancy of 75% compared to the national average of 50%.

Another relevant factor, given the growing concern for the environment, is Tenerife's commitment to sustainability. Not only does 48% of the island consist of protected natural parks, but it has also managed to integrate sustainability with the travel experience through nature activities, sustainable products, traditional crafts, etc. The island is working on projects to recover important natural resources and compensate the carbon footprint of tourism through reforestation plans, something which is receiving growing support from Meliá Hotels International.

Six of the hotels operated by Meliá Hotels International in the Canary Islands have already earned sustainability certifications, most remarkably the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora and the Meliá Jardines del Teide, both of them in Tenerife.

Meliá is optimistic about the future of the Canary Islands and the challenges which remain, including the strengthening of public-private partnerships to continue to boost the renovation and repositioning of some pioneering destinations, continued improvements to infrastructure, and a commitment to training, a critical factor behind the achievement of the superior quality tourism model desired by all.

As expressed by the Executive Vice President and CEO of Meliá in a recent Forum held in Tenerife, we must prepare for the near moment in which the competing destinations of Tenerife recover normality and resurface with aggressive offers and promotions: 'The Canary Islands, and Tenerife in particular, have all the ingredients to become a year-round destination for Europeans, but if they want to consolidate as a quality destination and ensure the profitability and sustainability of their model, they have to keep investing to differentiate from others, raising the level and the excellence of its offer, incorporating innovation, and reinforcing the collaboration between the sector and the Administration to return the splendor to some destinations in certain decline '.