Whilst some overseas destinations are struggling with falling tourist numbers others ‘such as Lanzarote in the Canary Islands’ are performing well ahead of expectations. With foreign arrivals soaring by just over 20% during the first half of this year, according to the latest statistics just released by AENA, the Spanish airport authority.
Lanzarote has long been a popular holiday hot spot for British tourists; the island welcomed nearly 800 visitors from the UK last year. And despite the recession, diminished disposable incomes and the relative weakness of sterling against the euro the number of British tourist arrivals has increased in the first half of 2011 by an impressive 13%.
The UK passenger numbers in April alone rose by nearly 50% versus the same month last year. Whilst other key markets such as Germany, have also exceeded expectations. Thanks in part to their faster than anticipated recovery from the economic downturn.
These figures can in part be attributed to the fact that Lanzarote’s tourist industry has been a major beneficiary of the recent unrest in the Middle East.
As events in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia forced holidaymakers to seek out alternatives to popular resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh and Sousse during the first half of this year.
As a result of this upsurge in arrivals Lanzarote’s accommodation sector has enjoyed a marked increase in bookings during the first half of 2011.
This trend that has not only benefited hoteliers but also thousands of overseas owners of apartments and villas in Lanzarote. Many of which have been purchased by British buyers over the last decade to rent out tourists.
The other main Canary Islands have also recorded significant growth during the first six months of this year.
With foreign tourist arrivals climbing by 24.6% on Tenerife, 19.8% on Gran Canaria and a whopping 38.5% on Fuerteventura. Figures that contrast very favourably with the 8.1% upswing recorded across Spain as a whole over the same period.
