Tourist Numbers Continue to Fall On Lanzarote

The release of the latest visitor numbers from Spanish airport operators AENA provides little in the way of respite for the becalmed Lanzarote property market.  As tourist arrivals on the eastern most Canary Island continue to decline sharply – down by just over 19% from 147,698 arrivals in February 2008 to 119,269 last month.  With double digit falls recorded across all national markets, with the sole exception of the Republic of Ireland.

The latest AENA figures reveal that cumulatively for the first two months of this year foreign tourist arrivals have now fallen by nearly 16% versus 2008 figures.  As the credit crunch and the falling pound really start to bite deeply into Lanzarote´s all important tourist industry.  Which is estimated to account for around 85% of the island’s total GDP.

The biggest falls have been recorded in the island’s most important markets.  With the number of people arriving on flights to Lanzarote from the UK (the islands number one source of tourist visitors) dropping sharply by 18.82% during the first two months of the year.  And with Lanzarote´s second largest market – Germany – following suit, with a fall in tourist arrivals of 13.36%.

Only the Irish market, Lanzarote´s third largest, has shown any resilience.  With tourist numbers falling by just 3.74% from 14,589 arrivals in February 2008 to 13,060 last month.  Once again providing testament to Lanzarote´s enormous popularity in the Republic.  As the island continue to attract more visitors from Eire than any other destination in Spain.

Eleswhere sharp falls were recorded in all other key markets – with Norwegian arrivals down by 14.66%, Swedish visitors down by 21.13% and Dutch numbers down by nearly 20%.  Creating a detrimental knock on effect for most sectors of the island’s economy.  With many Lanzarote hotels and apartment complexes for example reporting sharp falls in occupancy levels.

This picture of falling visitor numbers in Lanzarote is one that is being repeated across the other six Canary Islands and indeed across Spain as a whole.  With the nation now firmly in the grip of what the Spanish media openly describes as ‘el crisis’.

According to data recently released by Spain´s Ministry of Tourism the number of foreign tourists visiting the country fell by 15.9% in February versus the same month in 2008.  With the British Markey showing the largest falls – with visitor numbers from the UK down by 23.4%.  With tourism accounting for just over 10% of GDP for the nation as a whole – making it the second largest economic sector after construction.