Thursday, August 24, 2006

Canarian Government to Combat Image Problems

The drama of immigration has put the Canary Islands on the front pages of the media in half the world, causing preoccupation over the deterioration of the image of the islands as a tourist destination. The Canary Islands Government intend to combat the negative effects of the migratory phenomenon.

In September, the regional Tourist Council will undertake a marketing strategy to reinforce tourist promotion campaigns in those countries where news reports over illegal immigrants have had the most repercussions. The administration is also evaluating the impact of the uncontrollable arrival of cayucos among foreign tourists who holiday on Canary Islands beaches.

A month ago, just before the last wave of undocumented immigrants arrived, a team of sociologists also disembarked in Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife, where most of the boats arrive to get a feel for the reactions of the tourists on the beach. This species of urgent sociological investigation mostly came up with positive results. Tourists were aware of what was happening, before choosing the Canary Islands as their holiday destination and this did not affect their decision. They see it as a humanitarian drama and are not repelled by it.

While the administration are confident that, in the short term, this will not send European tourists to competing destinations and that the archipelago is still considered one of the most secure destinations in Europe, there is concern that the idyllic image of the islands is being damaged by constant media attention.

El Gobierno combatirá el deterioro de imagen