Jet2’s CEO ‘demands statement from Lanzarote president’ after vowing to have fewer Britons

Jet2’s CEO has demanded a statement from Lanzarote’s president over what he called “incendiary and insulting” comments after she said the island’s tourism industry was aiming to rely less on Britons in favor of “higher quality holidaymakers”.

Aviation chief Steve Heapy has sent a letter to Dolores Corujo asking her to clarify her statements and whether she wants tourists from the UK to come to the Canary Island.

said Mr. Heapy Travel weekly: ‘As the UK’s largest tour operator to Lanzarote, I contacted her for clarification on her inflammatory and downright offensive comments about British tourists.’

He added that he wanted to know “what she means and to what extent she intends to cut back on British tourism”.

This follows comments from Corujo last week that claimed Lanzarote was being saturated with British tourists and that the island was looking instead to accommodate more ‘higher end’ travelers from mainland Europe.

Jet 2 sends about 625,000 tourists to Lanzarote every year to enjoy the volcanic beaches

Speaking in Berlin earlier this month, Corujo said she did not want Lanzarote to depend on large numbers of British tourists, but would instead try to attract higher-end holidaymakers from Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Mr Heapy said the president’s comments have “caused the hotelier community to ask the same questions.”

The Jet2 boss also said he had “extreme concern” after the president vowed to keep the island away from British holidaymakers because her statements would have “a very detrimental effect on British tourists” who chose to holiday on the island, Canarian Weekly reported. Jet2 has been approached for comment.

Jet2 is the UK’s largest holiday tour operator. The company sends around 625,000 tourists to Lanzarote every year.

Mr Heapy said the stakes were high for the company and for the tourism industry, The Canarian Weekly reported. Despite Ms Corujo turning the island’s future tourism strategy away from the British, he said Jet2 had invested heavily in Lanzarote.

The company has contracts with 111 hotels, 46 villas and 8 resorts across Lanzarote and plays a vital role in the island’s economy.

Last week Ms Corujo told German tourism representatives that their market matched her intention to bring ‘higher quality’ tourism to the island.

She said: “It is essential to work on the diversification of the sector and the growth of markets such as the German market, which adapt to our intentions to focus on higher quality tourism and holidaymakers who spend more when they are here and drive us away. of mass tourism.’

Ms Corujo’s statement lashing out at British holidaymakers was subsequently published in the British press.

Mr Heapy said he was ‘extremely concerned about the articles published in the UK’s main print and online newspapers this weekend’.

He said it would have ‘a very detrimental effect on British tourists choosing Lanzarote for their holidays this year’.

Ms Corujo is pivoting the island’s future tourism strategy away from British holidaymakers

Ms Corujo said she would instead try to attract higher-end holidaymakers from Germany, the Netherlands and France

Ms Corujo seems to have been warning against British travelers for months. Last month she stated that the Canary Island was saturated with British tourists and wanted a new approach to their tourism industry.

She claimed the profile change would result in fewer visitors “with more spending at the destination.”

Lanzarote Tourist Office information shows that Britons spend an average of €34.94 per day on the island, more than most foreign visitors.

In addition, about half of all tourists visiting the island are British. In 2019 there were a total of 1.3 million British visitors to Lanzarote.

This is four times more than Germany with 309,000, with Ireland sending 285,000 and France sending a total of 115,000.

Despite this, Ms Corujo has pinned the island’s future tourism strategy to one of ‘diversification to reduce dependence on the UK market’ and what she believes will welcome more ‘upscale’ holidaymakers.