There are so many places that British holidaymakers could choose from for their summer hols, so why do places like Gran Canaria keep up their high appeal? Simply put, travellers want to make the most out of their annual break, so it often makes more sense to go for the familiar over the unknown.
Gran Canaria’s tourism industry needs to lean into this familiarity factor, but should also keep adding new experiences to keep things fresh for returning visitors.
Familiarity plays a huge role in almost every industry, and tourism companies need to understand this more. The entertainment industry provides an excellent model to follow, with studios realising that they have a great chance of success if they make content that audiences already recognise.
For instance, people who play Huff N More Puff slot online may do so because it reminds them of the classic Three Little Pigs tale. The game itself is also a sequel, so players who enjoyed the original may notice the similar themes. Many of these games also use similar mechanics, but with new themes each time, which means players are able to pick up and play new titles easily.
The same thing can be found in the film industry, where production companies will often look to follow up on successful titles with sequels and spinoffs. These new offerings usually capture what made the originals popular, but also offer something fresh and novel.
Tourism businesses in places like Gran Canaria can use this model to their advantage as well, effectively offering people sequels to holidays they previously enjoyed. Using digital marketing techniques, they can get past visitors back by advertising aspects they loved the first time, but things they may have missed out on doing.
Now that cheap flights have become more accessible to destinations around the world, people are arguably spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a holiday destination. However, as is often the case when it comes to the abundance of choice, it can sometimes make it harder to settle on something.
Everyone’s experienced that feeling before, scrolling through Netflix and not being able to choose something, only to settle on a film you’ve already watched. The same thing can happen with holiday choices. Islands like Gran Canaria have a strong appeal because people who’ve been there before know what they’re getting.
Aside from selling the familiar, businesses in Gran Canaria continue to add new experiences to keep things interesting for returning travellers. For example, this summer, the island is hosting the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup and the GWA Wingfoil World Cup.
There are other exciting events taking place too, such as the Gran Canaria Summer-Con, which features comics and technology. There’s also the Gran Canaria Craft Fair, where tourists can check out some nifty locally produced goods.
Gran Canaria has been a solid travel choice for UK tourists for decades, and it continues to attract people thanks to the familiarity it offers. It’s great to see that loads of new events are being added each year, though, as this helps the island provide fresh experiences for those who are coming back for a repeat visit.
