On the Beach: Canary Islands Surge in Popularity

MANCHESTER, England, April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On the Beach has observed a marked increase in visitors to the Canary Islands, which they believe owes to the area's great beaches and outdoor activities.

Leading online travel agent On the Beach has revealed that holidays to the Canary Islands are becoming increasingly popular with their customers. They have seen a significant rise in visits to Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria in 2011. Alistair Daly, Marketing Director of On the Beach, comments: "In the past few months we have seen a surge in visits to these islands - we believe this was prompted by the poor winter weather as many of our customers were compelled to escape on last minute holidays (http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/l/last-minute-holidays) to get some warmth. Of course there is no denying the popularity of this great group of island destinations."

These conclusions were given further weight by figures from the Airports Council International (ACI), the worldwide association of airports. They found that February saw a massive 34% increase in traffic to Fuerteventura. Tenerife and Lanzarote also experienced significant boosts with 13% and 11% rises respectively. The ACI ( http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_banners.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1_725_2___) placed these numbers in a generally positive context for travel as they found that international traffic grew by 4.5% in February.

According to Daly, holidays to the Canary Islands have continued to be popular in 2011. He states: "ACI's numbers show that February was a great month, however, we have seen this surge all throughout 2011 and we expect it to continue. The Canary Islands are excellent for seaside relaxation, yet they also offer fun hiking and amazing cultural activities like Carnival - this combination makes it the perfect spot for couples and people on family holidays (http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/l/family-holidays)."

Daly believes 2011 should see the Canary Islands rank amongst the most popular destinations for British travellers. He concludes: "We are excited by the numbers from ACI - 34% growth in visitors to Fuerteventura is very significant and we believe that the Canary Island may well be among the most popular destinations for British travellers this year."

About On the Beach:

Founded in 1995, On the Beach is one of the UK's leading online travel agencies carrying over 500,000 passengers every year (ABTA K0813). On the Beach provides value for money flights and hotels in the world's most popular beach holiday destinations. On the Beach provides consumers with a huge selection of travel products, from 50 million available seats, more than 30,000 hotels around the world, insurance and in-resort transfer partners. Customers can book online at www.onthebeach.co.uk or by calling the UK call centre on 0870-606-07-08.

As the expert provider of DIY beach holidays to the UK market, On the Beach is so confident of its industry leading position, it offers a market leading price match guarantee for its customers. On the Beach ( http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/) will refund the difference if a lower price is found for the same product on any UK website*.

*Offer applies to exact product match