Turning the energy crisis into an opportunity

Turning the energy crisis into an opportunity

The regional government of the Canary Islands, where the average winter temperature does not fall below 20 Celsius, launched a social media campaign in September to attract workers and retirees from countries such as Great Britain, Germany and Sweden, the Index reports.

"It's no secret that this will be a winter of great economic uncertainty in Europe, but we want to turn the situation around in the Canary Islands," said regional tourism minister Jaiza Castilla, describing them as an "economic haven."

Other Southern European countries also see potential

In September, the Greek tourism minister visited Austria and northern European countries, such as Sweden, to "turn this great energy crisis that is killing Europe into an opportunity."

The campaign was also launched by the Portuguese tourist association, and its leader Luis Araujo said that the expectations for the arrival of winter tourists from Northern Europe are "very positive". Data on tourism support his optimism.

Data from home rental search engine HomeToGo showed that compared to last year, searches from countries such as Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands increased by 36, 13 and 3 percent respectively for winter accommodation in Spain, Greece and Portugal.

The chief executive of the Spanish hotel chain Melia, Gabriel Escarer, said that people had booked apartments for two or three months in the Canary Islands this winter, with a notable presence of Scandinavian visitors.

Shelter during winter and beyond

Visitors and a large number of permanent residents also come from Germany, which before the war in Ukraine was largely dependent on Russian gas, and now worries about possible energy shortages in the winter period.

The German school in Gran Canaria, which is among the schools that enrolls a large number of students from abroad, received 40 applications from foreign students this year, which is more than in previous years. However, they did not specify the figures.

The Canary Islands cooperation association Repeople said it was fully booked in November and 80 percent booked for the rest of the winter.

Airlines will increase the number of available seats in the Canary Islands by 31 percent, the regional tourism office announced.

Leading airline TUI fly, which connects Germany to the area, said it would increase the number of flights by around 10 percent, adding that energy costs were a "psychological element" driving more people south.

Digital accommodation booking platform Airbnb said that searches for winter holidays in southern Europe tripled between April and June.

Moving - one of the solutions

However, for most northern Europeans traveling south is just a dream as the rising cost of living means they cannot afford the luxury of travel.

Instead, most are stocking up on goods to keep warm, such as duvets, 'slow cookers' and electric blankets, UK retail figures show.

On the other hand, some decided to deal with this problem and moved away permanently.