Promoting Lanzarote To Emerging Markets

Tourism promoters in Spain and the Spanish islands have recently started to put more effort into targeting potential visitors from emerging economies, notably India and China. Often the term 'emerging market' is associated with other terms like manufacturing, balance of trade, production, imports and exports. Now we can add tourism as a term associated with emerging markets.

Not that tourism boards have neglected reaching out to potential new clients in the past. From Europe to the United States to South America and Asia, tourist industries were and are keen to attract bigger markets.

But for the first time, Spain has established a Spanish tourism office in Mumbai, India. The goal is to establish Spain as a tourist destination among Indian holidaymakers - and Lanzarote could benefit this year as first time holidaymakers arrive.

The opening of the Mumbai office follows on the heels of the merger between British Airways and Iberia Airlines. Part of the strategic plan is to establish Barajas Airport in Madrid as an international hub facility. This will enable more direct flights to Barajas from Europe. More importantly for the immediate future, direct flights can be slotted in from India as well. It doesn't take a great leap of imagination to conclude that the same strategy will be employed for China soon.

Spain has had to face setbacks in recent years. Like the rest of the world, the 9/11 attacks on New York City sent all travel into a tailspin. Not only did leisure travel suffer, but business travel did as well. As things gradually returned to some semblance of normality, Spain took another hit. Spain's subway system was the target by terrorists on two occasions. Once again the effect was a slow down of tourist traffic and for example some of the flights to Lanzarote were quite empty.

But the Spanish government and its people are nothing if not resilient. With so much to offer in terms of culture, art, relaxation, natural beauty, shopping and cuisine, the tourist board is determined to make the entire country a holiday destination unique from the rest of Europe. And why not? With hundreds of regional and national parks, tremendous mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of inviting beachfront, stunning architecture and a seemingly unending array of sports and cultural offerings, one would be hard pressed not to find an idyllic way to spend holidays.

Attracting an upscale clientele should be an easy sell for the Mumbai office. Lanzarote's sister islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria have already become favourite stops for both the lesser known wealthy tourists and celebrities from all over the world. From fashion to nightlife, from penultimate accommodations to world class cuisine, Tenerife and Gran Canaria are 'go to' places for the rich and famous.

And as the Canaries are visited, so Lanzarote will be considered as well for those with families, who prefer the peace and quiet the island offers, and enquiries will soon translate into people taking holidays in Lanzarote.

Add to that some of the other Spanish islands like Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, it really does emphasise how unique Spain is. Lanzarote with its sublime beaches and captivating surfing venues has much to offer, especially in the winter when people visit because of the good Lanzarote weather.

The Spanish tourism industry is going all out to secure a substantial share of the emerging market tourist trade. And while they are focusing in the short term on India and China, the world tourist board recently identified the top 10 emerging market countries that will undoubtedly be wooed as well. They include, in addition to India and China, Montenegro, Croatia, the Republic of Congo, Vietnam, Romania, Namibia, Hong Kong and Chad.

Clearly there is an enormous potential for tourism within these emerging markets. Certainly Spain is not alone in desiring to gain as much of this market as possible. As they unroll their three-year strategy, it is also clear that they are doing everything they can to highlight the uniqueness of their country. Don't be surprised if you are going to Lanzarote this year to see a few more Indian and Chinese tourists on the island enjoying themselves this winter.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

About the Author

cheap holidays in Lanzarote are popular and more details about this are available with yourlanzarote.net

Other resources for Lanzaroteinclude both a map and a 5 day weather forecast, plus the airport and Lanzarote hotels

by: Osborne

Total views: 1 Word Count: 713 Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 Time: 12:30 AM - 0 comments

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