Trail Zone Expo at Transgrancanaria race

Idea location for sports

Gran Canaria is one of Spain’s Canary Islands, off northwestern Africa. It’s known for its black lava and white sand beaches, its privileged climate, extraordinary natural heritage and a wonderful setting for water sports. There are many reasons why many people choose the Island as a holiday destination, at any time of year, and one of them is that the island stands out as an ideal location for sports. Transgrancanaria has over 20 years of trail running history being one of the pioneers of the sport. As one of the older European races, a weekend festival with races for everyone, from young runners, to beginners, to experienced ultra-runners, running through the volcanic majesty of the Island of Gran Canaria.

The North Face Transgrancanaria Expo

Gran Canaria became the world capital of trail-running during The North Face Transgrancanaria, at the 2024 runner’s fair at the Expomeloneras Convention Center in the Maspalomas Congress Palace, it was our first experience in an Expo, an optimal opportunity to talk about our active tourism products in Oman, in addition to networking with other exhibitors and visitors with interests from the world of sports and mountains. The four days of exhibition were the meeting point for the more than 4,000 athletes who participated in The North Face Transgrancanaria. 

Gran Canaria’s Trail running history

This race does not merely attract top-tier athletes from around the world, sponsors, and specialized media but stands out as an exhibition of the symbiosis between tourism and sport. A great example of the efforts to diversify the tourism sector, a goal actively pursued by the Government of the Island.

ALTAIR DESTINATIONS first visit to canaria was an optimal opportunity, not only as we got to interact with possible future travelers, but it opened a new world we will be back to explore. Canarias Challenging  hikes, captivating scenery and the opportunity to immersed in the island’s culture and vibrant setting.

We were thrilled to discover that we also shared the same values, focusing on trail running enthusiasts and hikers of all levels, we promote Oman as a destination through the sports, keeping in mind the preservation of natural settings, as well as respect for local customs, encouraging growth that enriches both trail running and also hikers.

In our time on the Island, we introduced our services in trail running and hiking, we surprised visitors with The Sultanate’s variety of landscapes, including spectacular mountains, deserts, valleys and an endless coastline. Athletes visiting  and their families marveled at our stand as they learned of the beauty the sultanate has to offer. Visiting our stand was like flash trip to Oman, as they were surrounded by the marvelous smell of frankincense while standing in Wadi (Arabic term traditionally referring to a river valley)

Sustainable reminder

One of the most outstanding aspects of the race for us was to see that major races like The North Face Transgrancanaria can also be sustainable, as evidenced by their implementation of measures such as transferring participants in collective transport, the elimination of single-use plastics, the reuse of the signage from prior editions, cleaning the trails along which the route runs, and medal and trophy designs featuring recycled material.

We left Canaria and the Trail Zone expo at The North Face Transgrancanaria enchanted, leaving behind our small gift for those who visited us, a little piece of Oman, which  was a great success, frankincense and rose water hand made products elaborated by verde and green, a  local sustainable projects which products are natural, vegan, ecological and handmade with love in Oman. We seek to have a positive impact and our goal to avoid producing gift items that end up in a landfill.