Fuerteventura Canary Islands Flights up 50% Over Winter Season

Winter flights to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands are expected to soar following release of slot reservation numbers that show a 50% increase over 2009 figures. Visitor numbers so far to the Island have been higher following increased routes and new market growth – August saw 194 International flights this year up by 57 flights and many hotels have experienced 80-100% occupancy levels.

Fuerteventura Tourism Board headed by Agueda Montelongo has been working to improve the exposure of the Island to new markets such as France, Poland and Scandinavia and at the same time increase connectivity to traditional markets. Encouragingly these traditional markets are to see the biggest increases with the UK set to increase by 52%, Germany 29%, and Ireland a huge 756%! Emerging markets will also improve with France 59%, Holland 90% and Scandinavia 55%.

The new figures also show a particular bias to Fuerteventura compared to other Canary Islands, re-establishing it as the fastest growing Island. General forecasts for the Canary Islands show a 31% rise with Fuerteventura 50% and although flights from mainland Spain look to fall by 2% across the archipelago, Fuerteventura is looking at a 13% increase.

Agueda Montelongo also mentioned the increase in Cruise ships for this winter with an additional 12 berths between September and April starting with the Aidablu which arrived yesterday to Puerto Rosario. Although these visitors only spend a day on the Island they are still important to the promotion of the Island in general and the impressions they leave with are crucial to Fuerteventuras image.

Much of the increase in traffic is down to the return of Ryanair especially for the Irish markets however with the investment to lengthen the runway, build a second terminal and other projects like the Northern motorway, other major carriers have also seen the potential of Fuerteventura. Monarch, Easyjet, Air Lingus have been busy this year and their continued commitment lends stability to the growth figures.

Of course the forecasts will be good news to many businesses across the Islands and in particular to those second home property owners who not only will be able to visit more frequently but will also benefit from additional rental bookings. Short term rental figures have also increased this year with many owners experiencing 40 weeks occupation making their return on investment very high. The improved winter season flights also establish Fuerteventura as the fastest growing winter sun destination in Europe.

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