Tourist Arrivals Rise 3.28% On Lanzarote

The tentative recovery of Lanzarote´s tourist industry continues.  As figures just released by ISTAC, the Canary Island´s Institute of Statistics, reveals that foreign visitor arrivals rose by 3.28% in Janauary.  Suggesting that the record falls and negative numbers of last year are now a thing of the past.

Like the rest of Spain Lanzarote and the Canaries endured a gruelling 2009 – with total tourist numbers finally falling by 15% and the property market in a state of almost total stagnation.  As investment and tourism are inextricably interlinked in this autonomous region of Spain.

At one stage last year occupancy levels in Lanzarote hotels and apartments even fell as low as 45%.  Some 30% off the normal average.  Whilst during the Spring period visitor numbers tumbled by over 20%.  However a recovery from this low water mark has been apparent ever since.  With visitor numbers from the key market of the UK actually rising against 2009 figures in December by 7%.

The latest ISTAC figurs sugesst that this trend is continiung into 2010 too – as the number of tourist arrivals rose by 3.28%.  With Lanzarote welcoming a total of 122,800 foreign tourists and 51,533 Spanish nationals. 

However this brighter picture miust be viewed in context.  As the uplfit is measured against tourist figures for Janaury 2009 – which was one of the weakest months in recent years as the crisis had started to bite and visitor numbers fell by over 12% versus January 2008 figures.  When the island welcomed 135,617 foreign arrivals.

Either way though the latest figres at least reverse the negative trend of last year and allied with the introduction of a whole new raft of cheap flights to Lanzarote from budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet suggests that brighter skies now lie ahead.

Leading Lanzarote property portals such as Lanzarote Guidebook have registered a marked incease in the number of enquiries received during the first two months of this year. Whilst many local estate agents have also noted a steady uplift in the number of overseas investors.  With many attribtuing this to the fact that Lanzarote remains a strong investment option given the islands twelve month season and the ongoing demand for good quality rental property.  With local tourist authorities estimating that around half of all visitors stay in privately owned Lanzarote villas or apartments as opposed to hotels and holiday complexes.