The Canary Islands government launched their latest tourist campaign in London at the World Travel Market at Canary Wharf’s ExCel Centre, and they grabbed a lot of attention. The showpiece event for the travel industry ran from November 9 to 12 and the Canary Islands were promoted as a whole from a huge 823 square metre stand that cost 430,000 euros.

There were 4 interactive themes to the display, Volcanic Experience, Wellness Delight, Family Welcome and Water Sports Experience. They must have made a good impression, because the organisers voted the stand the best at the show. It wasn’t just inside the hall that the Canary Islands were turning heads, several London taxis were covered in promotional pictures, and Herons Quay Bridge, an important landmark in Canary Wharf, displayed a 50 metre billboard.

There is a further boost to come next year when the British Travel Writers Association will hold their annual AGM in Tenerife during  January. Around 100 influential journalists will attend, as they help to shape the trends for future holidays.

Winter – there I’ve said the dreaded word, snow, wind, rain, dark nights, fog, frost. Well that’s one version of winter, but of course, here in Lanzarote and Tenerife, the sunshine life goes on. Now those seeking to escape from the UK winter not so wonderland, have encouragement from the pound, downtrodden but never beaten, the plucky pound is fighting back and stands proudly at around 1.15 euros.

It’s no time for complacency, could do better, that’s the report card on the pound but it is moving in the right direction to assist holiday makers, and given the fantastic beaches, night life and natural wonders, it’s only fair to meet it half way. Across Europe there are signs of the recession coming to an end, and value for money has always been a key driving force with Wimpen Leisure Management. Tenerife and Lanzarote will always be sought after destinations for short and long term visitors, the facilities are in place and the expertise to back them up. now is the perfect time to think about giving the cold winter the cold shoulder.

Looks like it’s going to be a hot winter in Lanzarote and Tenerife, and thanks to 39 new Canary Island routes from Ryanair, tourism will be boosted and holiday home owners will find it easier to pop back and forth from the UK and other key parts of Europe.

The winter flights start from October and will be reviewed in March 2010. The new routes split into 8 for Tenerife and 15 for Lanzarote, the Tenerife airports are Barcelona (Girona), Bournemouth, Bristol, Birmingham, Brussels, London – Luton, Madrid and Oporto. For Lanzarote you can add to those, Dublin, Dusseldorf, East Midlands, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Liverpool, London – Stanstead, Madrid and Shannon, but not including Oporto.

The   Ryanair move has been enabled by the AENA, the Spanish airport authority, scrapping airport charges for Spain. It will help to cement the Canary Islands reputation as the place to go for guaranteed winter sunshine.

No matter how comfortable and enjoyable your resort is, you will always feel the pull of the beach. Tenerife and Lanzarote both have a fine selection to choose from, and another clutch of European Union blue flags has just been awarded for cleanliness and quality on many of your favourite bathing places.

In Lanzarote, Playa Blanca has been rewarded, very handy for guests at Las Brasas and Las Casitas resorts. In Tenerife, there is also good news, with Las Vistas beach in Los Cristianos adding to its annual collection of blue flags, very tempting to those staying at Los Claveles. Playa la Arena on the west coast is another beach that is no stranger to these awards, and is just a short stroll from Las Rosas and El Marques.

In total, the Canary Islands have been awarded 38 blue flags this year, a fitting reward for the efforts put in by the local councils. Of course if sea and sand don’t appeal to you, all of our resorts have excellent swimming pools with full services close to hand.

We have now released new rental prices for all of our resorts in Tenerife, Lanzarote and Spain for 2009/2010, including new discounts for owners.  Contact Wimpen Management for more information.

Book your Rental for 2009/2010

From tip to toe, Lanzarote is an island of beauty and wonder, re-born with a new volcanic covering, it has been carefully nurtured to blend new developments with the history, culture and scenic heart of the island. Las Brisas and Las Casitas are two of Wimpen Leisure Managements most popular resorts, featuring low level villas that make the most of the landscape around them.

Playa Blanca is at the southern most tip of Lanzarote, and combines a  busy port with fine sandy beaches, and a modern marina. The sand dunes of Fuerteventura are clearly visible, just a 12 minute ferry ride away, just past the tiny island of  Los Lobos.

The old town stretches out along the sea front, and the promenade and narrow streets behind are both filled with a mix of captivating small shops and tasty restaurants. A brisk 20 minute walk along the front, and you are at the stylish new Marina Rubicon, where wooden bridges, plazas, and walkways come together to link the designer shops and wide range of restaurants and bars.

Playa Blanca is a very special corner of Lanzarote and a popular place to make a home.

Dear Owner,

Towards the end of January, the Spanish police raided the offices of Global Vacations Limited, a marketing company selling Club Class Concierge holiday club membership, arresting sixteen people on suspicion of fraud.

Victims of this alleged fraud will have been approached by resale company ETOO telling them that a buyer had been found for their points or week. They would have been told that the transaction would have to be concluded in person in Malaga. Once there the owners were met by Global Vacations Limited representatives who try to sell them Club Class Concierge membership. This may well have been alongside a cash-back offer through CashBack Europe Plc.

To assist the authorities in Spain with their investigations, evidence is now required from timeshare owners and the purpose of this email is to call on OTE members to inform their staff, post messages on their websites or their newsletters to encourage as many victims as possible come forward. A case can only be built up if sufficient evidence is provided!

In this instance, rather than forwarding complaints to OTE’s enforcement team in Spain, we have been informed that evidence should be sent to the complainant’s local European Consumer Centre, details of which can be found on the ECC website http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/redress_cons/docs/ecc_network_centers.pdf

Photocopies of all documents, a brief statement providing details about their case and photocopies of proof of payments made should be provided.

UK based consumers should send their complaints to:

European Consumer Centre

1 Sylvan Court, Sylvan Way

Southfields Business Park

Basildon

Essex SS15 6TH

Tel: 08456 04 05 03, Fax: 08456 08 96 00, email: ecc@tsi.org.uk

A number of new features that you can join in on – Add your own holiday snaps to our Group on Flickr or sign on for regular news letter up dates via our Facebook Fan Page.

If you have any questions email Ian Crane administracion@WimPen.com