The agreement with Gran Canaria Tourism and Norwich City: A significant step in the internationalization of UD Las Palmas
Patricio Viñayo, General Director of UD Las Palmas, emphasized that the club is determined not only to be seen as a football team but also as a dynamic promoter of the Gran Canaria brand.
Turismo de Gran Canaria, the English football team Norwich City Football Club, and UD Las Palmas have reached a collaboration agreement. The British team, known as "Los Canarios" due to the city's origins, where foreigners arrived with canaries as pets, will promote the image of the island throughout the upcoming 2023/2024 season in British football. This agreement holds great promotional value for Gran Canaria, allowing the exportation of the Gran Canaria brand.
Present at the event were Carlos Álamo, Tourism Councillor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria; Nicolás Ortega, vice president of UD Las Palmas; Patricio Viñayo, General Director of UD Las Palmas; and Sam Jeffrey, Commercial and Marketing Director of Norwich City Football Club.
Carlos Álamo highlighted that this agreement is "a great opportunity to make an impact in a strategic market for the Canary Islands and particularly Gran Canaria. We will enter millions of potential tourists' homes through sports." He also stated that this agreement between Turismo de Gran Canaria, UD Las Palmas, and Norwich City "is a determined step to value British customers and to also maximize the potential of the 20 cities connected to Gran Canaria." This is evidenced by "the more than 426,000 tourists who arrived in the first half of 2023. We have never had so many British tourists, and we hope that these types of agreements will help improve the expected occupancy for August and September."
"This agreement is part of a larger pact we are working on together with UD Las Palmas," indicated the Tourism Councillor, who stressed that "this agreement represents a powerful promotional campaign for Gran Canaria, which we hope will strengthen us and continue to grow in one of the main markets of the Canary Islands.
Sam Jeffrey, on his part, expressed gratitude for Turismo de Gran Canaria becoming one of Norwich City's partners. "We are delighted to be in the Canary Islands and in Gran Canaria, the best island," said the Commercial Director of the British club. He explained that for Norwich, "communication values are crucial, and what we aim to reflect closely aligns with what UD Las Palmas has implemented. We try to connect with the community and enhance relationships with fans and partners, which is why we appreciate Turismo de Gran Canaria becoming one of our top sponsors." In this regard, he noted, "We don't form partnerships with just anyone, as it's essential for us to highlight values."
"The Gran Canaria logo is already on our jersey, and we've celebrated the first goal of the season with the logo. We'll carry out other actions and campaigns to promote the island's image, using our players to help spread the image in their home countries," Jeffrey added.
Patricio Viñayo praised the vision of Turismo de Gran Canaria and the speed at which this agreement with Norwich City was reached. "This is the beginning of a beautiful story, and with this partnership, we are sure to solidify significant growth," stated the General Director of UD Las Palmas. He explained that agreements like this "represent small but impactful steps in our internationalization efforts." He also emphasized that "we work so that, despite our humility and being newcomers in La Liga, UD Las Palmas can serve the island. Our team should be seen as a driving force for the Gran Canaria brand."
With this collaboration agreement, Turismo de Gran Canaria becomes the main partner of the London-based club, and the image of Gran Canaria will be displayed on the jerseys of the men's first team. Additionally, the British team commits to showcasing audiovisual productions and advertisements during televised and non-televised broadcasts of Norwich City's home matches, offering a significant reach across the London club's channels. This will serve as an excellent promotional campaign for Gran Canaria as a tourist destination in the UK and Europe, showcasing the island's many possibilities for a perfect family vacation and highlighting its virtues for sports activities.
Furthermore, an extensive social media campaign will take place across the Club's channels linked to Gran Canaria's own channels. Each season, a series of digital contents titled "Getting to Know Gran Canaria" will be created, and the club's merchandise will bear the Gran Canaria logo, among other actions. Similarly, thanks to this agreement, Norwich City will have the opportunity to visit Gran Canaria annually to play a friendly match with UD Las Palmas. The British club can also undertake training camps on the island or develop a program through its own academy, fostering the exchange of knowledge, new experiences in grassroots football, or the implementation of bilingual camps. These initiatives will undoubtedly serve as activations for fans of both teams.
