Gran Canaria

While there are hard times in the travel industry, any holiday island seeing an increase in visitors from a particular country will be delighted to see them - and so it is with Gran Canaria who has seen the number of Irish tourists rise while the number of British holidaymakers declined in 2009.

But is it because the island has been giving a warmer welcome to the Irish than the British?

Not a bit of it - both the UK and Irish economies have fared badly in recent times, but the Irish have a good economic reason to visit and enjoy the Gran Canaria weather while the British might have been tempted by other destinations.

It’s because of the Euro.

Ireland and Gran Canaria both use the Euro, so the cost of a holiday in Gran Canaria has remained pretty constant in recent years. The Irish tourist doesn’t even have to pay commission on foreign exchange as they can use the same money they have in Ireland in Gran Canaria.

It’s a different story for the British though.

Their currency, Sterling - or the pound - has crashed in the last couple of years by over 30 per cent against the Euro which Gran Canaria uses, sending the cost of visiting local attractions and dining out soaring. One result has been a surge in popularity of package holidays where meals are included in the price of a holiday at the hotel tourists have booked.

In place of their traditional holiday favourites, areas which don’t use the Euro and whose currency isn’t strong against Sterling have done well - notably Turkey and Egypt.

But the Brits do still visit Gran Canaria despite the rise because for many a Gran Canaria holiday is something special. An Irish newspaper put it well when they described Gran Canaria as:

‘The Canary Islands are a home from home for many an Irish holidaymaker, offering the twin attractions of value and sunshine. Those who love Gran Canaria wouldn’t go anywhere else. Those who haven’t tried it might like to think again. Far from being just one long beach, the island is a continent in miniature, with surprising contrasts in landscape that range from deep ravines to mountain peaks. And while most of us associate Gran Canaria only with dunes, the northern part of the island is carpeted in green pines and lush sugar-cane and banana plantations.’

If the British pound strengthens against the Euro in the weeks and months ahead, the number of British people taking Gran Canaria holidays will rise to levels seen just a couple of years ago.

More details about the island are at http://www.yourgrancanaria.net and includes villa holidays from James Villas

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