Cabildo and Government of the Canary Islands Show the Tourist Potential of Tenerife to 750 German Travel Agents

The German tour operator TUI carries out its biggest European campaign on the island, which has included training on the fate of more than 3,000 professionals

During the last two weeks, Tenerife has received a total of 750 German travel agents within the largest campaign that the tour operator TUI Germany develops throughout Europe. This is the initiative TUI INSIDE 2018/2019, which has the support of the Cabildo through Tourism of Tenerife and the Government of the Canary Islands in which 3,000 German professionals and 7,500 travel agencies in the country (75 percent of the total) have received training on the attractions of the island as a tourist destination during the last months.

The professionals who have been on the island are the best travel agents of TUI. They have done it in five groups of 150 members each who, in turn, have spent four days in Tenerife. The last of the groups will leave the island this Friday [May 17]. Attendees have known the main attractions of the destination during their stay, which in turn will allow them to offer their return to their customers with a first-hand experience.

The vice-president and insular councilor of Tourism, Alberto Bernabé, has welcomed the island to the travel agents along with the head of TUI for the south / east of Germany, Michael Münssinger, and the director of Product in Spain, Beate Einhäuser. Bernabé stressed that "this action is one of the most important of TUI in the world and also the most relevant of Tenerife to the world considering that, in addition, the German market is more dominated by the sale of packages through the agencies of trips that by Internet, reason why the formation on the destination is very valuable ".

Müssinger explained that this event, which in his opinion was carried out at the "right time" given the current situation of market slowdown as a result of various factors, allows German professionals to "feel and experience the destination". In this sense, the head of TUI Germany has pointed out that many of the travel agents had never been to Tenerife and others "had known the island for many years and have valued in a very positive way the improvements that the destination has experienced".

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Isaac Castellano, explains that "TUI INSIDE allows the promotion of the Canary Islands brand through the main German tour operator through an ambitious plan of professional communication and counting on its best travel agents as strength of sale in that important market, that we must not forget that it is the second of interest for the Archipelago ". For its part, Beate Einhäuser stressed that "Tenerife, which is the sixth world destination in importance for TUI, is much more than sun and beach and our agents have been able to check it during these days".

Leisure and meetings

They have also had the opportunity to hold working meetings with companies in the tourism sector of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, as well as enjoy excursions or get to know the wide range of gastronomy and wines from Tenerife. Puerto de la Cruz, a visit to the Teide National Park or the observation of cetaceans are some of the activities carried out. In this fam trip (trip of familiarization) also journalists of specialized means in tourism have participated, who will elaborate articles about the attractions and novelties of the Island.

The initiative maintains its commitment of 'zero footprint', which means that all polluting emissions caused by transfers by plane to the Island or in guaguas for excursions will be compensated with the planting of trees once the event ends.

The campaign focuses on strengthening the knowledge of the Island among travel agents in the third passenger travel market to Tenerife after the United Kingdom and Spain, with 641,000 tourists received in 2018, 2 percent more than the previous year. This initiative seeks to reinforce the arrival of German tourists to the Island during this year, who in the first quarter have experienced a decline of 4.7 percent over the same period of the previous year, among other reasons, due to the bankruptcy of the Germania airline and the recovery of competitors.

TUI INSIDE has been considered since 2002 as the most important training program for travel agents in the tourism industry in Germany. The agreement with Tenerife has included personalized presentations of the destination in around thirty German cities as well as 15 online seminars; the presence of the Island as a destination in the printed magazine of the tour operator, which has 25,000 readers among the German travel agents; the sending of specific communication from Tenerife through newsletters to another 8,000.